


Puzzle and Dragons World

by LordAstrea



Category: Puzzle & Dragons (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/M, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2018-12-06 10:16:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11598525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordAstrea/pseuds/LordAstrea
Summary: "What is it that makes us real?"Ray Andylon is one of few chosen from millions of players around the world to test the new virtual game, Puzzle and Dragons World. But Ray and the other players soon find themselves questioning the world's reality. War looms as the malicious agendas of enemy players and monsters are revealed. And in the real world, conspiracies unfold that could threaten both worlds.





	1. Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> I would first like to thank all you readers out there who have taken the time to explore this new world I have created. Those of you who have played the original Puzzle and Dragons will be familiar with some of the monsters described and game mechanics mentioned. For those of you not familiar, do not fret! There is plenty for everyone to discover since the original game has no actual story. The original game has characters with only images and stats. My goal is to bring these characters to life and to give them their own lives and personalities. It is to give them a purpose much more personal to call their own.  
> Another note: This story has nothing to do with the anime, Puzzle and Dragons X. This story contains a vast amount of original content and OCs working alongside your beloved monsters. The entire world is original and applies names of dungeons in the app game as locations with some added by myself.  
> I appreciate any reviews with suggestions and constructive feedback. Feel free to send me messages through my inbox. I usually get to them within 24 hours.
> 
> This is the story of two worlds. One world is "real" while the other is "virtual." But, let us explore the question, "What is reality to you?"

" _I am Lo. I am the overseer of this world as it comes to fruition. I am the caretaker upon its birth. I am the authority over its inhabitants. My laws are absolute and bound with consequence. So why should I bow to you?" -Lo (Lady Overlook)  
_

**Prologue**

_...This was my discovery: a code that is of our world. It is not born or created from one of our technological achievements. It is the code that comprises the world itself._

_I told you once of my crowning achievement, and my greatest mistake. It is the creation of a brand new world with a universal code that allows it to function independently from outside sources._

_The denizens of this world have free will: humans, monsters, animals, all of them._ _I am telling you, they feel. They experience hatred, love, happiness, and sadness just like us._

_The monsters from the original Puzzle and Dragons...I chose them because of the love that so many people have for them. I chose them so that I could bring them to life and give them a purpose beyond what they had. I was so blinded by my ambitions that I did not foresee the consequences that would result from using a code derived from our own world. I never anticipated the capacity of our technology to tamper with potential realities._

_They are also absorbed in a conflict that threatens to erupt into war. It is inevitable that we will soon be dragged into it._

_I believe the people after me are aware of this as well. T_ _he reasons cannot be good. There is malicious intent, and I cannot allow anyone to find the universal code._

_I cannot go to the authorities, the government, nobody. The corporations of the world have become too powerful. Governments are merely puppets with restrained or even non-existent power at this point._

_Here is where I ask for your help. For the sake of our humanity and our existence, I implore you. I know everything I have written so far seems absolutely insane, but it is all true. I have never lied to you._

_The code being implemented now in the virtual world is useless to those who pursue me. It is constantly evolving as the virtual world continues to function._

_The original universal code is in safe hands for the time being. I wanted to simply delete it, erase it from the world altogether, but I had no idea what effect this might have on our own world._

_There are monsters in the other world that you can trust. Their names and profiles are at the secret place. You know where it is._

_I am truly sorry. I am sorry that I surrendered to the temptations that man is so susceptible to. And I am so sorry for involving you and anyone else who is potentially in danger for my mistakes._

_Please, extend my deepest apologies to the monsters of the other world if that ever becomes at all possible._

_Thank you so much for everything you have done for me up until now. Thank you. Godspeed my friend._

_**...End of file...** _

A man sat in the darkness. The only light in the room was from the small lamp on his desk that illuminated the copy of the letter from the man known as Shinji Takamura.

This was the third time he read the letter. Much of it seemed to be absolute nonsense, the ramblings of a man who had become too engrossed in a world that was not his own.

But the fact that the code was currently out of reach was disconcerting.

After a long pause he pulled open the filing cabinet next to his desk and returned the letter to its proper folder.

He laced his fingers together on the desk and heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation. "Shinji Takamura, even in death, you still get in my way."

* * *

 **Pirugan Continent: Caramoc Cove**  
**May 23, 2020**  
**1:37 AM**  
**2 Days before launch of PADW**

Pandora knelt before the large chest that lay open before her. Its encroaching chains whipped violently through the air like crazed serpents. However, their restless movements were not without purpose. A dark fog crept over the sides of the chest and settled around Pandora's legs as she spoke inaudible words. Her hands traced the intricate designs along its base, all the way up to the edge of its maw containing an infinite abyss.

Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead as her unheard incantation began to take effect on the once dormant powers that rested within the chest. The dark fog that had begun to spread throughout the cove now retracted slowly as the abyss proceeded to draw back its intangible form.

A sudden quake of the earth momentarily interrupted her in the midst of the enchantment. She clasped her hands and allowed the fog to roll over her as it returned to its resting place. Her disheveled, yet luminous, green hair blew forward as a terrifying roar emerged from the tunnel behind her. The chains grew even more frantic and began batting each other side to side as though they sensed her growing desperation.

She took a moment to cut off the incantation so she could focus on the direction of her approaching adversary. Even though she was fairly certain of who it was, it helped to be able to discern the distance of the quakes so she could at least give herself a moment of relief.

The relief was not forthcoming.

_He is here._

She finished her work and sealed the chest as soon as the last of the darkness had receded. Next to the chest she grabbed a small backpack and dumped the contents in front of her. Small gemstones, about the size of the palm of one's hand, clattered to the ground and shimmered in the moonlight. The magic stones were used for nearly everything in this world, and she had been saving them for just this occasion. One by one she inserted the stones in the three slots that were engraved in the front of the chest. The stones melded into the ironwork and disappeared from sight as she inserted them.

The rumbling drew closer and Pandora hastened to get the last dozen or so stones placed. She had already imbedded a large amount, but with the Players arriving, she didn't know how long only a few stones would last. She had to be certain, even if it meant wasting stones that could have been used elsewhere. There was no room for error at this point.

She heaved a sigh of relief as the last stone vanished. After a few moments of inactivity passed, the chains, which were now forming spirals around her, stiffened in place and coiled themselves around the chest and each other. They visibly tightened and the chest was sealed.

Pandora rose and stared at the now-silent box. The quakes were stronger now, and it was readily apparent that she wouldn't be making the swift escape that she had originally planned. She turned to the mouth of the cave she had recently emerged from and in moments a massive form appeared. Even in the darkness Pandora's ruby eyes could still see the black masses that charged forward by the behemoth's feet.

Pandora stood straight with her head raised in defiance as the giant halted a few yards away. She now noticed that the creatures at its feet were knights clad in black armor, brandishing finely crafted broadswords and pearlescent shields.

The large figure leaned forward and his six arms were now visible. His form had been shrouded by massive wings that blocked out a considerable portion of the sky when fully extended outwards. A black staff with lines of gold was held in one of its six hands and another held an impressive broadsword of superior craftsmanship. Four horns protruded from its forehead. Two more, one on each side of its head where the ears should have been, thrust straight outwards like sharp daggers. The shape of a helmet was laid around the horns and a red mask covered the mouth.

The monstrosity stepped forward slowly and knelt down on one knee. It rested an arm on its bent leg in a carefree manner. A hint of a grin was discernible from beneath the mask.

The behemoth spoke in a deep, powerful voice, "Mistress of the Bleak Night, Pandora, you have been quite a thorn in my side these past few days."

Pandora managed to still her shaking hands and allowed herself a smirk. "Oh Satan, you know how I just love playing hard to get." With those words she felt her fear slipping away, replaced by a mix of determination and frustration.

The one known as Satan visibly frowned at her lack of fear. "I don't intend to play word games with you." He extended his hand. "Give me the box and I guarantee you and the others will at least survive until the Players have had their entry."

Pandora pretended to consider his offer for a moment and placed a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Ohhhhhh, so very very tempting. Why is it that you dark, evil guys always attempt to entice your victims with mercy, when clearly we can dismiss such a notion before you even utter it? It's tiresome, but it does buy me some time without me having to put forth any effort." She grinned.

Satan's eyes narrowed. "What do you me-" he was cut off as a heavy blow drove into the side of his head. It was a well-placed attack that successfully connected just outside of Satan's peripheral vision. The curved blade of the striking weapon cut across his vision as it scraped alongside his helmet. The wielder of the weapon twisted her wrist and drove the flat of the blade straight into Satan's face, sending him reeling backwards. The knights at his feet scattered desperately to avoid being crushed by his massive body. He landed in a brief daze, but managed to quickly reorient himself just as a swift kick landed cleanly on his other blind side and sent him careening into the cliff overlooking the cove. He let out a forced gasp that mixed with the faint taste of blood.

Satan rose slowly and uttered a stream of curses as his assailant landed gracefully a few feet in front of the still-grinning Pandora.

Pandora's comrade stood straight and brandished her weapon, a halberd with an axe blade curved into a shape akin to a scimitar. Its length was nearly double her size. As she readjusted her grip, a pair of armored, rainbow wings extended on her back. The female warrior threw her ponytail over her shoulder and allowed it to hang its full length to her waist.

She parted her hair that hung over one eye and sized up her opponent as he took an offensive stance, her expression remaining neutral despite the powerful aura that exuded from her foe.

"It's good to see you Leilan," Pandora greeted her casually. "Though you are just a tad bit late."

Leilan addressed her calmly as she checked her red and gold Chinese dress for tears, "Metatron had some last-minute adjustments that needed seeing to."

Pandora shrugged. "I guess she is known for taking her sweet time."

Leilan was only half-listening at this point. Satan had once again risen to his full height and glared at the duo. Large azure, translucent rings began to form in his hands with a display of strange archaic symbols. Blue sparks showered around him and the surge of energy lifted his spirits.

"What lousy timing. Chinese gods are always so irritating." He drew his arms back with the rings whirring loudly like buzz saws. "Time to tear your wings off little fire bird," he growled.

Leilan steadied herself. "Here we go," she breathed.

Just as Satan was about to release the deadly rings he became distracted by a strange, white light in the sky. A low hum emitted from the pale glow and echoed throughout the cove as it pulsated like a beating heart. It streaked across the sky in a straight line with a clear purpose. Even Leilan and Pandora could not help gazing at its brilliance. The light took the form of a sphere and settled its image over one of the moons. It halted as its form began to glow with specs of yellow light, consuming the moon's massive body.

Satan pushed aside the distraction and glared at the two females. "It seems we are running out of time," he muttered.

Leilan turned to Pandora who nodded her assent. "The Players are almost here."


	2. Ray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loading......  
> NPCs: Known as non-playable characters. Any character in a game not controlled by a player. Usually controlled by a game's artificial intelligence with the sole purpose of progressing plot and/or progression. In 2019, NPCs advanced beyond normal computer interface and interacted with a separate system containing blocks of isolated memory known as the Independent Entity Program.

" _This world, implementing the finest in virtual technology, shall be the guise necessary to perform the task of creating the perfect soldier." -Thomas Malkin_

  **Seattle, Washington**

**United States**

**May 23, 2020**

**7:22 PM**

**2 Days before launch of PADW**

The woman behind the desk opened a binded manilla folder and carefully removed its contents as if they would break just by the gentle brush of her fingertips. She laid out the papers and sifted through them one by one, scanning each and typing notes on her laptop. It had been a long day, and it was rising in temperature due to all the individuals that were packed together despite the size of the massive assembly room. Nevertheless, she had become particularly interested in the file that she had just received from this young man.

_File #623: Subject Summary of Completion and Test Recording_

_Please submit this form to your supervisor upon completion._

_Subject: Ray Andylon_

_Gender: Male_

_Blood Type: O_

_Height: 5' 10"_

_Weight: 175 pounds_

_Eyes: Blue_

_Hair: Brown_

_Note: Eye correction required [Right -2.5 - Left -3.25]_

_Physical and Endurance Exam Results:_

_Cardio: S_

_Notes: Subject's ability to run at moderate speed level consistently with limited contraction of bronchial tubing has been noted. Subject has history of asthma and medication with albuterol inhaler has been discontinued for past three years. Excessive, deep air intake may prove problematic but negligible with results from intrinsic scans upon transfer. Subject form suggests professional training which was confirmed at the high school level and has been continued to the present. Attached is the subject's high school and college athletic history._

_Strength: A_

_Notes: Subject is competent at lifting heavy objects and moving between stations with time constraints. Endurance is not an issue. Subject has knowledge of differing exercises and is aware of proper muscle groups for each exercise and operates them accordingly._

_Reflexes: S_

_Notes: Subject displays excellent performance when presented with constantly changing situations and maintaining focus. Exercises 1-7 were performed flawlessly with exercises 8-11 receiving only one flaw each. Subject stance was analyzed and upon inquiry subject mentioned participating on his high school's wrestling team. Along with athletic history, a form is attached with information with specific athletic stats past and current._

The woman glanced up from the form for a moment. A young man in his early twenties stood before her with a passive expression on his face. His hands were clasped behind him as if he were standing at attention. His brown hair was slightly disheveled and he wore a black polo fully buttoned. The woman noted his muscle build as well. It was lean, meaning he was built for the endurance described in the report.

She was supposed to take note of these characteristics. She had been doing it for so long that she did it with everyone she met for the first time, and even with people she already knew to assess their transformations. It had become a useful habit.

As she was about to speak, a man approached her from behind and tapped her shoulder. His suit was visibly darkened from all the perspiration that wetted his brow and under his arms. His labored breathing showed he had been in a hurry. He motioned to her and she leaned towards him. She glanced at Ray for a moment who still remained motionless; however, his eyes were roaming the room. No, perhaps it was more along the lines of analyzing.

She nodded to the man and he made a hasty exit. The woman's eyes followed him until he approached another man, this one wearing some sort of black security uniform, and began speaking frantically to him about something inaudible. The man in the security suit beckoned for him to follow and they exited the room from an unseen side door.

The woman sat back in her chair for a moment and began to fuss with her ponytail. She knew it was a distracting and unbecoming habit, but she was convinced it helped her thought process. The exchange between the two men and the information she had just received was slightly troubling. In any case, Ray didn't seem to be distracted by it in the least when she made her first statement.

"As your supervisor for this testing process, I am required to provide you with information that will encourage any inquiries on your part," she said. She felt like a broken record, and she knew she certainly sounded like one. Her words came out fluid, but they almost felt robotic in a way. It was annoying to just hear her own voice sometimes with this job.

Ray nodded. "Okay," he answered simply.

"Since this is our first official meeting face-to-face, allow me to introduce myself, I am Emily Tanner. I will be your supervisor up until you are sent into the virtual world. My job is to go over these files and collaborate with your test instructors to ensure that you are given the proper coding that represents your true ability here in the real world. It will be applied to your person upon entering the virtual world and it will build upon the levels and stats you gain. Do you have any questions so far? I know it's a pretty wild concept to grasp."

Ray didn't take much time to ask his question, even though the question was actually more of a confirmation, "So basically, my ability in the real world has been gauged and it will be applied to me in the virtual world."

Emily smiled. "Yeah you pretty much got it. The only other thing you're missing is that you can improve yourself even without gaining levels, just like you can in the real world." She left a notable emphasis on the word 'real.'

"It seems a little unfair if some people are more athletic or stronger than others in the real world," Ray commented.

Emily nodded. "In hindsight, it does seem that way. However, when you all enter this world, you will find that people have capabilities that will make you all equals. It depends upon how you all use your talents that will bring the desired outcome. The intrinsic scans are also in place to determine what your possible true potential is that you have not yet reached. I assure you that nobody ever reaches their full potential. We hope to bring that out in the virtual world."

Emily stopped for a moment. She surprised herself by how much information she was relaying to this boy. Normally with her candidates she went through just the typical, boring procedure: read the file, answer the questions promptly, and then send them on their way. However, at this point, she found herself babbling.

She immediately dismissed the notion and returned her attention to Ray.

"Do you have anymore questions?" she asked.

Ray considered it for a moment. "Only one. Is there someone I can speak to more in-depth about the world and the database we will be given?"

Emily cocked an eyebrow at this peculiar question. "Yes, there will be a final assembly held the day before you are sent in. You will have some guest speakers who will explain how everything works. If you don't get some answers you are hoping for, I am sure they will be holding some separate meetings afterward to make themselves available."

She went back to the form she had been reading and scanned through some of the unimportant details: the background checks, possible criminal history, highest level of education, they could all wait until a later date. After a quick skim, she reached a report that seized her attention. At first, the letters didn't quite register in her brain. It was like a calculator that had been given a formula that defied all the laws of equation it had been taught. She felt her mouth drop slightly as she read his intrinsic scan report. It didn't seem possible.

She forced herself to look back up at Ray. "You didn't look through this folder right?"

Ray tilted his head in confusion. "No. They told us not to. Besides, judging by the way it was sealed, the tears would have been obvious if I had browsed through it."

Emily nodded and composed herself. "Of course. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. It's been a pretty long day."

She rubbed her eyes and glanced back at the form before placing it back in the folder,

_Intrinsic Scan Analysis Report:_

_Subject displays tremendous physical and mental capabilities. Physical capabilities include heightened reflexes and situational strength/endurance limiter removals. Situational testing displayed a 97% success rate for limiter removal in dangerous and time-crucial situations (situations and conflict varying upon mental state and source of conflict)._

_Mental capabilities were impressive with resolving highly difficult problems and amending provided instructions with opportunities to ascertain flaws and/or enact improvements. Readings indicate unidentified potentials at rates ranging from 87%-99%._

_Subject Final Intrinsic Scan Analysis Score: SSS_

Emily closed and sealed the folder with a special lock she withdrew from a small metal box on her desk. She stared at the folder for a few more brief seconds. It was as if she was seeing through the folder and still reading Ray's files.  _SSS._

She felt a thought tugging at her somewhere in her brain, but she couldn't quite grasp it. It was like someone was dangling the answer at the end of a fishing line being constantly pulled out of her reach. At that moment, she reflexively drew a pen from her pocket, pulled out a stack of notes, and wrote a short memo to herself,  _More research: Ray Andylon, ID 623._  She ripped the sticky note off the pile and stuck it in her pocket before extending her hand across the table to Ray.

"You are dismissed. I will see you right after the final assembly for a few last-minute instructions. I wish you luck."

Ray grasped her hand in a firm grip and they shook with one quick motion. "Thank you."

Ray grabbed his backpack off the floor, gave Emily a curt nod, and proceeded to head to the cafeteria for dinner. Emily watched after him until he disappeared behind the glass double doors at the end of the assembly hall. She stared down at her hand. A person's handshake could tell a lot.

* * *

Ray strode down the crowded hallway and pulled out his cellphone. Apparently, he had missed seven calls; one under the name Keiichi, and the other six under the name Lucy. Typical Lucy. Ray couldn't help allowing himself a grin when he also opened his text message inbox to find ten more texts from her and two from Keiichi. He figured he would be seeing them soon anyway, so he saw no real reason to answer them back.

The hallway merged with a sky bridge completely encompassed by glass with a view of the city below. Seattle was bustling with massive crowds of people heading home after a long day of work. The traffic was as horrendous as ever, with cars knit tightly together and evidence of an accident a few blocks up the road. Ray didn't much like the city, and it was due to the fact that wherever you walked you were bound to bump into twenty-or-so people before you even made it a few yards. He wasn't really much on crowds, and even the narrow bridge made him jittery as he hugged the railing that lined the glass.

He noted the large digital screen that overlooked this section of the city. On the screen, a female wielding a lengthy halberd was in combat with another female clad in thick armor who deflected her opponent's attack with a finely crafted lance. The curved blades attached to the sides of the lance allowed the halberd to drag alongside it and forced the other female's momentum to carry forward. Just as the armored female was about to deal a critical side swipe, her lance was halted by a male with a lance of his own, this one a lime green and exuding some form of pestilence. The man in green readjusted his hat and gave the other lance wielder a wry grin.

The battle continued for some time on the screen with more participants joining along the way. The advertisement showed the vast scope of the world that a select few Players would be entering.

Ray stared at the screen a little longer, completely mesmerized by the display. That was the world he would soon be a part of and he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. It was just so exciting that he would be able to experience a whole new world firsthand.

He had been growing tired of the world he lived in for so long. It was as if some deity up above had answered his prayers and was giving him a second life that he could only have dreamed of up until now. It was the chance of a lifetime for someone like him.

_I won't let any of this go to waste,_ he promised himself.

* * *

The cafeteria was crowded, just the way he hated it. His fellow Players were already seated, and he could pick out their excited conversations concerning what they planned to do once they entered the virtual world. Some of them were showing off their ranks and monster boxes from the previous Puzzle and Dragons; the one for the android and ios released many years ago.

_It's been nearly a decade,_  Ray reminisced.

He could discern a few key words from specific conversations. They were discussing dungeons they had conquered, teams that were most effective against certain gods, and, most importantly, who they intended to pick as their first monster upon entering the world.

Each Player would get the opportunity to list five monsters he/she wanted when first starting out, beginning with the first as the most desired and the last as least. Ray didn't quite know how it was decided who received what monster, but he assumed it had to do with how often the monster was used by the Player in the previous Puzzle and Dragons. He hoped rank didn't apply. The original Puzzle and Dragons was released in 2012 and he only started the game in early 2014 due to the fact he didn't own a cellphone that could run the game. So basically, he was way behind most of these Players as far as rank was concerned. Nobody had a prayer of catching up to Players who had a two-year head start. In the end though, it was just a number right?

At that moment he heard a familiar name uttered by one of the Players, "...Leilan..."

The name halted Ray in his tracks. It was a name Ray had discovered during his first few weeks of playing the original game. He recalled the emotions he felt as he took a pull on the machine that released a variety of eggs, all different colors, that could hold one of a list of nearly fifteen hundred monsters. This machine could give a Player the monsters he/she desired, but it could also give them essentially nothing. It had been his first pull.

He had sat there with a mix of anticipation and apprehension, wishing to any and all forces out in the universe that he would see that gold egg appear out of that silly, yellow dragon machine.

_Ray pulled down on the dragon's arm and the slot on the belly of the egg machine opened. Ray held his breath. A gold egg appeared and he pumped an excited fist in the air, but, almost immediately, drew his hand to his side and realized that even a gold egg could hold something that wasn't what he desired. Gods weren't the only ones that rested within these treasured capsules._

_Ray stared unblinking at the egg as it shook a few times. After a brief moment, it burst open with a bright light that consumed the screen of Ray's phone. As the light diminished, Ray saw a girl with a mix of dark orange and red hair wrapped into a long ponytail. Her Chinese dress was a deep red laced with gold, and her small rainbow wings were outstretched, prepared to take flight. She wielded a broadsword burning with an unquenchable fire that mimicked the flames that swirled around her in a controlled circle._

_Ray sat staring at the screen for a long while. Time had become meaningless. She had a wonderful smile on her face that exuded an air of confidence, but also hid a reserved kindness. He tapped the screen with a trembling finger and at the top left of the screen it read "God" with a red orb; a fire symbol sealed within it._

She would be the first of many gods that Ray received over his time playing the game but, in the end, it was Leilan who conquered the most dungeons and pushed him to the rank he was at today. He felt that, if not for her, he would have possibly been one of those people who quit the game out of sheer frustration due to not receiving a powerful enough monster from the machine to move forward at an acceptable pace.

He willed the memory away and grimaced.  _Not a chance buddy._

Just as he was about to take a strained step forward he felt a slight nudge from behind. He could instinctively tell it was not hostile, so he glanced over his shoulder calmly and noted the person behind him. The young man was around his age with short black hair and a similar lean build. His brown eyes held a hidden intensity that was masked by his unmatched enthusiasm. He wore a winning smile as he gave Ray a quick wave.

Ray couldn't suppress a grin. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Keiichi."

The young man named Keiichi slapped a hand on Ray's shoulder and they embraced in a one-armed hug.

"Dammit man where have you been?" Keiichi asked unable to contain his excitement. "I messaged you a few times but didn't hear back from you."

Ray raised his hands apologetically. "Sorry, they held me there longer than I expected. Had some equipment problems."

Keiichi frowned at this. "Seriously? That's a shame. You missed out on the meet and greet. Not that it was anything all that special I guess." He shrugged. "Though I can tell that a bunch of them are going to be taking a dark path. More than I expected."

Ray gestured for Keiichi to follow him so they could grab some food. He didn't address the statement immediately, but he did take some time to process Keiichi's words. It was typical of games that had player vs. player combat to have some Player Killers, but he was hoping that the focus would be more on conquering dungeons and discovering the secrets of the world. The fact that a lot of other Players were already considering killing other Players was unsettling.

Ray and Keiichi grabbed their meal from the buffet line and settled at a high-top table in the corner of the room where they could separate themselves from most of the cacophony. Ray could now get a clear view of the area and noted that there must have been at least a couple hundred people. Some were Players, while others appeared to be staff.

"So if we are going to have Player Killers we'll need to make sure we don't draw too much unwanted attention," Keiichi continued. "But you go for the whole rogue thing in these types of games anyway right?"

Ray nodded. "Usually, but I may have to try and join a guild so I can have a decent information network." Ray sighed. "Which may be a little problematic for someone like me..."

Keiichi nodded solemnly. They were both friends in the original game, so Keiichi was aware of Ray's rank. It wasn't high. Ray had started the game too late and he wasn't a Player who spent much money towards it like many others did, which pushed him even further behind in rank. Keiichi knew more about him than any of his other game friends did though.

Keiichi and Ray were a rarity and actually stayed in contact outside of the game and discussed things that went beyond gaming. It turned out they were both successful athletes, excelled in school, and were absolutely dense as hell when it came to women. They laughed about the latter constantly. Both of them had blown tons of chances with girls and, honestly, they didn't mind sharing these moments with each other despite the fact they were on opposite sides of the country from each other. Ray actually found it kind of scary how much they had in common: music taste, anime and tv shows, books, etc.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Keiichi said after what seemed like a considerable amount of time. "If some guilds reject you, then they don't know what they're missing out on. You've demonstrated some of your puzzle-solving skills with me, and they were damn impressive. Furthermore, our abilities in the real world will be applied. You might even have an advantage."

Ray nodded. He was thankful for Keiichi's support, but they both were aware it was still going to be rough nevertheless. Ray was confident that if he could have Leilan as a partner, he could hold out as long as he needed to.

"In any case-" Ray started. He was interrupted by a tray that slammed on the table right in front of his plate. The plate leaped off the table but managed to hold the food in place. Ray and Keiichi both instinctively reared back in their chairs. Ray was more fortunate than Keiichi. He leaned forward just in time to right himself in his seat as Keiichi's chair settled too far back on its legs and sent him down hard to the floor. He lay there sprawled in a heap with his legs dangling above his head.

The two stared fearfully at the newcomer. Her head was lowered and her body trembled. When she looked up, Ray pushed himself towards the corner, cowering in fear while Keiichi covered his face with his shirt and assumed the fetal position. There was death in those eyes.

"Oh god she's here! She's friggin here!" Keiichi sobbed. His voice was nearly raised to a shout with his fake crying.

Ray threw his face in his hands dramatically. "Gods above I am so sorry. Whatever sin I have caused I will amend in any way I can. Your humble servant begs for mercy."

The two fear-stricken boys continued their stammering pleas as the girl eyed the two of them back and forth furiously. She finally rested her eyes on Ray, stepped on the metal rungs of his high chair, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt violently.

Keiichi clapped his hands together in prayer, thanking some unknown deity for sparing him and sacrificing Ray so that he could continue to live a fruitful, fulfilling life.

Ray heard all of this and kept his eyes tightly shut as he bawled to Keiichi, "You damn coward! I'm going to haunt you when I die!"

He opened his eyes a sliver so he could see the expression on the girl's face. It was actually what he had expected. She looked more hurt than angry. Her eyes were a deep blue and practically sparkled in the light. Her brown hair settled just past her shoulders and, despite the fact that she was now towering over him, she was rather petite. The girl's face was barely an inch from Ray's and she gazed at him as if she were analyzing him.

Ray finally managed to find his voice. "H-hey Lucy."

At the sound of her name she shook Ray a few more times before embracing him in a devastating hug that should have been impossible for someone of her stature.

"Why didn't you answer my calls you jerk?" She rocked the chair back and forth and Ray felt his head collide with the wall a few times.

Ray strained to breathe. "I'm-sorry," he choked.

Keiichi now stood at his side and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Poor Ray. His life was a brief one."

Ray managed to get a couple more select words out, "Screw-you."

The girl named Lucy turned to Keiichi at the sound of his voice with a mixture of joy and hate in her eyes. It was an emotional combination that should have been impossible, and it terrified Keiichi. He raised his hands nervously in surrender, but the girl had already leaped away from Ray and seized Keiichi in a death hug just for him.

* * *

Emily moved hastily through the assembly hall as soon as she finished saving her data on the laptop and filed away her physical documents. There were still large throngs of people blocking her route and she shoved many of them aside with obvious irritation. Many of them gave her disapproving and angry looks, but she didn't pay them any mind.

The hallway outside became surprisingly quiet as she entered the administrative wing, and she made good time to her office three floors above. A man sat at a long, marble desk, typing away furiously, his brow furrowed deeply to match his intensity. The door to the entry room closed without a sound behind Emily and she made her way past the front desk to her office. The man didn't seem to notice her.

Her office was a generous size with a window nearly dominating a side wall that overlooked the city. Two large bookshelves filled the adjacent wall where a mahogany desk sat before them with just enough room for her to swivel her chair back to sit. There was nothing decorative to the room, and one would think it rather plain. People typically didn't know her personality all that well though.

Emily withdrew her laptop and set it on the desk as it booted up. While she waited, she picked up the phone and dialed an extension.

After a few tones passed, a tired voice answered, "Hello?" The man sounded like he had just woken up. He yawned loudly on the other end of the phone.

Emily dismissed this unprofessionalism. "Rick. It's Emily."

The man named Rick made a loud shuffling on the other end of the phone.

"Well I guess if you're calling it must be something important," he said, attempting to mask his interest.

"I just received a SSS rank."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. The only indication that Rick was still there was his slow, even breath. Emily gave him a moment to let the news sink in. When it was apparent that no response was forthcoming, Emily broke the silence.

"Rick?"

"Who else knows about this?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "You, me, and the guys who administered the tests. What do you take me for?"

Rick sighed heavily. "I know. Just one of those questions that needs asking. Okay, send me his information. I highly doubt this is a coincidence, and if my hunch is right, there will be more."

Emily opened a document on her computer and prepared to relay the information to Rick through a secured dropbox linked to his computer.

"And the testers?" she asked.

"I'm barred from their area in the system. There is nothing we can do about them. If we tell them to keep quiet about this, it will just arouse more suspicion. No, they will definitely be shooting their mouths off. Who wouldn't when they've just finished testing a SSS rank? I guess we just need to hope it doesn't reach the wrong people too soon when it spreads."

Emily nodded even though Rick couldn't see her assent.

"This will no longer be a secure line in a few days," Rick added. "I will meet you at the usual place to give you access to the new line."

Emily nodded. "Okay."

There was another long silence before Rick spoke again. "What do you think about Kurosaki? Can we trust him?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll keep you posted." Emily hung up the phone and sat there for a moment running the conversation through her head again. If what Rick said was true, then more SSS ranks were going to be entering the virtual world. The only problem with that was, whose side were they on?


	3. Reversion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loading......  
> Orbs: Attribute orbs are categorized as fire, wood, water, light, and dark. Players enter a support role in combat once certain conditions are met and erect an impenetrable barrier. A board of attribute orbs will appear. Players match orbs that compliment his/her respective monsters to unlock hidden power. How this power is utilized is up to the monster and/or Player, depending upon the situation.

" _I constantly tell them not to look in the box, but they always do anyway. It's rather amusing." -Pandora_

**Pirugan Continent, Caramoc Cove**

**May 23, 2020**

**2:03 AM**

**2 Days before launch of PADW**

The swirling disc slashed dangerously past Leilan as she side-stepped expertly out of harm's way. The remaining five discs of lightning maneuvered strategically around her and seemed to float momentarily, as if they were waiting for her to make the first move. Leilan didn't need to win this battle though, she just needed to buy Pandora enough time to make her escape.

The moon was now completely consumed by the specks of yellow and blazed like a brilliant sun. Streams of silver laced around the circumference of the sphere of light and glided to the ground, seemingly inserting themselves into the land. The sphere began to pulsate much more evenly than before and rings of rainbow light shot outward and disappeared into the distance from all angles.

Leilan turned to Pandora. "Get going. There isn't enough time for you to stay here."

Pandora nodded her assent and retreated to the other end of the cove where a short tunnel promised an escape.

Leilan inspected the spinning rings. One of her eyes conjured a slight flame that burned a scorching blue and orange hue. The eye remained immune to the burn and her pupil narrowed.

"Initiating active skill  _Flame Lure,_ " Leilan muttered under her breath.

* * *

Pandora spared a glance over her shoulder and saw that the spinning rings had become impatient and launched themselves at Leilan in unison. Pandora hated being the one who had to turn tail, but she knew that the box needed to be kept safe at all costs.

At the end of the tunnel, she was halted by a cliff that overlooked the expanse of the glowing ocean. She stared down and could see the gentle lapping of the waves below upon the rocky shore. To her left was a natural staircase that led downwards.

What stood before the staircase was the real problem. Pandora let out a stream of curses as she noticed an armored warrior draw a broadsword from the long scabbard on his back. The sword's length was as long as he was tall, and a small iron shield with intricate, swirling symbols was attached to his left forearm. Gold spikes protruded from his helmet and narrow slits were left open for the eyes. His gauntlets were multilayered and jagged upon the knuckles.

He took an intimidating, heavy step forward and cracked the knuckles on one of his hands. The smooth rock beneath his feet showed signs of thin cracks with his passing.

Pandora took a struggled step back to put as much distance between her and the black knight as possible. She needed to hold on for just a little bit longer. The Reversion was about to take place. Just a little longer...

She found herself at the edge of the cliff, the heel of her foot no longer resting on solid ground. Her foot rose and fell a few times as if it was refusing to believe that it had reached the end of the line.

Pandora eyed her enemy and set the box down beside her. She attempted to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable encounter, despite the aching resistance of her body. The knight was now only a few yards away and he could easily close the distance between them, even with his bulky armor. The armored monster took a shorter step forward and lowered himself into a crouch, preparing to charge forward, with sword drawn parallel to the ground. Pandora took a fighting stance of her own and conjured a sphere of darkness that was a materialization of her own malice. It swirled calmly at first, and then increased in speed as she forced her hate to rise. It was the source of her power; the manifestation of dark emotions.

Just as both combatants leaned to ease weight on their back legs, a high-pitched voice pierced the silence from above.

"Unnecessary dramatic entrance PUNCH!" the enthusiastic voice shouted.

The black knight looked up in time for his face to be met with a spiked, metal fist that drove his head into the ground in a splash of rock and dirt that concealed both him and his assailant. The female who struck him drew back her other fist for a second attack, but the knight recovered faster than anticipated and drew a hidden dagger concealed in the waste of his armor. He slashed outwards in an upper arc, just barely missing the female, who had reared her upper body back to avoid the sneak attack. She pushed off the recovering knight and landed a few yards away, driving one of her fists into the ground to ease the landing for the rest of her body.

The girl stood straight and threw her long, black hair back over her shoulder, revealing a wide grin on her face. She had what appeared to be small fins extending near her ears and jagged horns growing from her head. She wore an aqua, silk kungfu suit that extended to her thighs, which were covered by elaborately crafted body armor of similar hue. Her white leggings and suit matched the shape of her body for increased mobility. The armor on her wrists were also of the same blue color as the rest of the armor, and sharp fins extended out of these as well, making them versatile for offense and defense in combat. What was most peculiar about her human-like appearance was the long, cerulean tail that extended from her lower back that barely brushed against the ground at its end.

She smashed her armored fists together dramatically and the metallic clang echoed throughout the cove. The girl turned to Pandora with the same winning grin.

"Heya Pandora! Just thought I'd drop in to lend a hand." She pumped her fist in the air for emphasis.

Pandora's shock instantly transformed into a relieved sighed. "What is with you Chinese gods showing up at the last minute?"

The girl pretended to consider the question for a moment before answering. Finally, she simply shrugged with the same happy expression. "I dunno, makes things more exciting I guess."

The conversation between the two girls was interrupted by the sound of scraping metal from where the knight had been dealt his brief beating. He rose out of the wide crater that had formed around him from the heavy blow the girl dealt. His hand rested on the flat of his sword and he drew it across the blade. At first, it seemed as if this motion was some sort of battle ritual, but upon further inspection, one could discern a faint, dull glow that emanated from the edges of the sword. The two females could tell that he was reinforcing the blade with one of his active skills.

"Any idea what that active skill is Karin?" Pandora inquired.

The enthusiastic girl, Karin, shook her head without a shred of concern. "Nope, but reinforcement isn't all that special." She brought her fists together again, this time in a controlled manner, as she prepared her defensive stance. "I got this."

* * *

Leilan batted aside the first disc and angled her halberd diagonally towards the ground to catch the second. The first disc smashed into a third which lost course and buried itself deep into the rock; however, it didn't seem to lose its momentum and continued cutting through the stone in an awkward arc that passed Leilan at a safe distance from behind. The disc eating into the blade of the halberd was stubborn and attempted to slice through, but Leilan angled her grip downward so the disc also began to cut into the rock. She centered her hands on the staff of the weapon and a fourth disc drove into the top portion of the staff. This extra force pushed Leilan back and she felt her feet begin to slide. The final disc was now on its way, and Leilan was fully aware of the fact that her options were now limited with the two discs spinning against the opposite ends of the halberd, preventing her from moving to either side.

She readjusted her grip once again so that the driving force of each disc on either side of the halberd was distributed equally. As the final disc was nearly upon her, she forced her hands upwards towards the sky and allowed her feet to leave the ground. She shot upward now that the two opposing forces of the discs no longer had any counterweight. By lifting her hands, she was able to change the angle of the discs so that she shot at an angle upwards rather than being pushed horizontally back along the ground. The final disc flew harmlessly below her and drove into one of the cliffs, utterly decimating the top half. The wall collapsed, and the resulting blast contributed to Leilan's now forward motion and allowed her to flip over the two discs still attached to her halberd. These two soon disconnected and flew into the sky and disappeared into the bright light of the moon.

Leilan landed right where she had begun, with not a single scratch to be seen on her body. She allowed the arm supporting her halberd to fall slightly so that its blade cut into the ground to relax her muscles.

Satan let out a grunt of disappointment. "Looks like the bird managed to fly."

He sat back against one of the walls of the cove and allowed his arms to rest easily at his side. The Reversion was at hand, and he knew now that there was no time to defeat Leilan and catch Pandora with such a constraint.

As the two warriors stared each other down, a bright pillar of yellow light descended from the sky and planted itself into the ground. Sparks erupted from the rock and small lights like fireflies encircled the pillar that signaled the official arrival of The Reversion.

Leilan side-stepped so she could get a full view of Satan who was now leaning back against a boulder completely at ease. She frowned at this. Satan had clearly lost this battle, a crucial battle at that, and yet, he seemed to be unfazed. As a matter of fact, he actually looked confident. Pandora's box was one of the keys to winning the war between the monsters. So why was he so nonchalant about what should have been a devastating defeat?

"What are you up to?" Leilan asked, masking the concern in her voice.

Satan regarded her as if he had just seen her for the first time. He leaned forward and clasped two of his hands together. "Nothing at all," his deep voice boomed throughout the cove despite his even tone. "I only just realized that this defeat is a minor hindrance in the whole scheme of things."

"Explain."

"I see no reason to," Satan replied. He decided to let those words sink in as he clasped two other hands behind his head.

He regarded the dark knights that stood around them. He had noticed during Pandora's retreat that they had not made any attempt to pursue her. They just stood there, staring vacantly into the distance with their weapons held at their side. He figured that perhaps another one of Leilan's active skills was in effect that caused minor monsters to enter a state of paralysis. He had to admit, it was a nifty little active skill. So was the first one that turned the attention of the discs away from the intended target.

He closed his eyes and still sensed the presence of Pandora and another individual that was just a short distance outside of the cove. One of his own was there as well, but it was clear that his opponent was still in peak condition. With that in mind, he concluded that the battle was now officially over. He was not accustomed to defeat, but he took it as a learning experience.

Two more pillars of light appeared. These two engulfed both Leilan and Satan. Satan glanced down at his hand and felt a soft tingling sensation creep along his fingertips that were now pixelated and flaky. As his fingers began to disappear and disintegrate, tiny flecks, no more the size of a grain of sand, floated up the pillar towards the moon in a lazy ascent.

Leilan's was overcome by a similar effect, and her whole body took on a strange sepia tone with a grayscale aura that outlined her form. She stared at her hands calmly as they were the first to disintegrate. Her weapon was next, and she felt naked without it even though her hands could not have held the weapon at this point.

When only their upper bodies remained, Satan gave her a slow nod and vanished. Leilan didn't know what that motion meant, but she hated to admit to herself that a sense of dread had creeped into her thoughts.

* * *

Karin landed deftly against the rock wall and launched herself just as the blade of her enemy's sword embedded itself deeply into the stone. The dark knight jerked his arm back and the blade bent at an awkward angle as he whipped it around towards Karin. The sudden change in direction caught Karin off guard, and she was barely able to deflect the whip-like sword with a shower of water. The end of the blade cut her shoulder and she fell expertly into a roll that broke her fall.

The knight retracted the bladed whip with the flick of his wrist and it became a broadsword once more.

_It can change shape? Interesting,_ Karin thought, retaining her composure.

The water that she utilized to block the blade began to swirl around her and took the shape of a dragon serpent. The water dragon was incredibly detailed and even its sapphire scales were discernible on its liquid form. It settled around Karin and rested its head on her shoulder, awaiting her next command.

Pandora observed the battle from behind Karin and cursed herself for her weakened state. Just creating that tiny sphere of malice had drained nearly all of what little energy she had left. She still felt the parasitical aftereffects of the box from sealing it with the magic stones. The stones were still in their pure state, but she needed them to reach a certain level of corruption before the box was fully sealed. Extra energy was necessary, so she had to allow the box to continue feeding off of her until it was satisfied.

She watched helplessly as the black figure pointed his sword at Karin. It was as if he was daring her to make the first move.

Karin was accustomed to initiation, so she decided to humor him. The dragon resting on her shoulder creeped down her arm, swirled around it, and tightened, all while retaining a watery form. Karin snapped her fingers and, accepting the signal, the dragon charged forward, pulling Karin along with it. She beat her feet against the ground to increase speed and to launch herself in a multitude of directions to make herself a challenging target. It was clever due to the fact that the water dragon also changed direction as she formed signals with the bending of her fingers.

The knight stood there, sword still pointed in the same stance, save for his knees that now bent slightly. His other arm hung relaxed at his side, swaying no more than an inch in either direction, forward and then back.

As his opponent drew near, the blade, with astounding speed, extended to what should have been an impossible length. The blade was now nearly fifteen yards long and reached Karin in less than a fraction of a second.

Karin saw the blade right before her face, right between the eyes. It was as if everything had entered a state of slow motion. The tip of the blade crept closer and closer, the flat of the blade reflecting the yellow light of the moon. That brilliant light was what prevented her from flinching. That flinch was what prevented a crucial, slight twitch of a muscle that could respond to danger. She would not allow herself to flinch.

She let that trained, instinctive twitch take her when she noticed the second slight bend of her opponent's knees.

Karin relaxed her neck and gave her water dragon another quick sign that was executed relatively simultaneous with the previous one. Her dragon was trained well, for it immediately canceled the former sign and processed the latter just in time to pull Karin to the side. The tip of the long blade sliced along her cheek, drawing blood that the blade hungrily accepted.

It locked onto a new target: Pandora. Even in her weakened state Pandora had noticed the water dragon's last-second shift in direction. She rolled sideways and the blade extended past her head dealing no damage.

Karin detached the water dragon and skid along the rock, planting her fist into the ground to slow her to a halt.

She glanced up at her enemy. Her eyes widened when she noticed his extended arm. Karin saw his fingers forming familiar signs.

_He figured out my commands already?_

Immediately following that thought, The Reversion initiated its final stage.

The armored warrior stood calmly as a pillar of light enveloped his body and began the same process that was dealt to Leilan and Satan. Karin and Pandora were admitted soon after. Karin forced a wink at Pandora, who responded with a weak, yet relieved smile as their bodies began to disintegrate. Their adversary stood silent and sheathed his blade into the scabbard on his back. It slid in easily and locked at the elegant pommel with a metallic click.

Karin saluted her opponent before her hands disappeared. "Nice battle there friend, even if you aren't much of a conversationalist, " she added.

The knight remained silent, but to Karin's surprise, returned a similar swift salute. As the last of their bodies disappeared, the pillars extended into the sky, along with hundreds of others that extended all over the virtual world. As the last of the pillars retracted, a silence fell over the world that would be short-lived.

* * *

A hooded figure wearing a dark cloak stepped into Caramoc Cove once the last of the pillars disappeared from sight. He examined the aftermath of the battle that had recently taken place. Debris was scattered everywhere and the individual noted the sliced rock that Satan's discs had punished.

They were impressive to say the least. They had completely exceeded his expectations.

_I hope the Players show as much promise._

The cloaked figure examined a teal, banded device that encircled his wrist. It was covered with an array of small lights that were currently faded. It was akin to a wristband that extended nearly to his elbows with three thin slots that could be observed upon closer examination of its underside.

One of the lights lit up as the dark figure ran a gloved finger over it and a holographic screen appeared before his eyes. He scrolled with his fingertips through the menus that were listed. After a brief moment of searching, he settled upon the one he was looking for and pressed it gently.

A list of categories appeared and he happened upon the one he was searching for instantly.

"Continue to entertain us," he whispered.

He wiped his hand over the category and pressed the holographic button that was presented to him.


	4. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loading......  
> Intrinsic scans: Derived from various denotations including: compiler theory and the neural activity of reasoning. Using technology similar to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), intrinsic scans create detailed images of the human body and translate it to coding that is interpreted by a program. It is then placed into a simulation with the most ideal scenarios to determine potential.

" _Make sure everyone maintains their individuality. It is the requirement for interpreting two realities." -Christopher Alsheimer, CEO of World Virtual Visions (WVV)_

**Seattle, Washington**

**United States**

**May 24, 2020**

**3:07 PM**

**20 hours 53 minutes before launch of PADW**

_Athena. Karin. Mei Mei. Parvati. Sarasvati. Vishnu. Zeus. Metatron. Sakuya. Siegfried. Pandora. Satan. Hera. Valkyrie. Verche. Echidna. Guan Yu. Cao Cao. Ra. Hades. Bastet. Sonia. Lilith. Tsukoyomi. Haku. Odin. Anubis. Isis. Idunn & Idunna. Persephone. Tearju. Apollo. Michael. Freyja. Noah. Alraune. Amaterasu. Raphael. Shiva. Cleopatra. Neptune. Da Qiao & Xiao Qiao. Venus. Okuninushi. Thanatos. Lu Bu..._

Ray scrolled through the massive list of monsters presented to him on the screen. He swiped to the next page on the tablet and scanned through a new list of names. He had forgotten how many monsters were in this game; however, of course, he did not expect all of them to be included. After all, this version of Puzzle and Dragons was brand new, and the original game currently had a list of over two thousand monsters.

But why didn't they at least list them in numerical order? Perhaps alphabetical, monster type or even by attribute? It was like the developers just decided to throw them all together in a random number generator and dump them out afterward.

The information and stats provided for each monster were also meager in presentation. All that was provided was: name, attribute, type, health, and attack. These were the basic bits of information needed to understand any playable character in a game. However, a Puzzle and Dragons Player would know that several pieces of crucial information were left out.

Most monsters in PAD had an active skill and a leader skill. The leader skill is passive, and is only activated if a monster is assigned the position of "leader" on a team. The active skill could be used after a certain amount of turns went by or, in this new world, could be implemented after a certain amount of time or if other instances are met. Both of these skills were not listed. Ray had to wonder if maybe they had been changed. They couldn't have been removed, they were still in the new game guide. So why? Multiple other stats were missing as well.

_They are really leaving us in the dark aren't they. Guess I'll just have to adapt._

The man sitting at the desk in front of him constantly glanced at his watch as Ray swiped through another page. The man spoke up, "You know you only pick five right?"

Ray answered the man without looking up, "Yes, I know."

He didn't push the conversation further with an explanation as he maintained focus on the screen. The man unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a yawn and pretended to look through some papers at his desk.

Ray reached the last page and scanned until he reached the bottom.

_What the hell? She isn't here._

Ray scrolled back to the first page and frantically analyzed the monsters that appeared. He looked at each one for at least a whole three seconds before he moved to the next one.

_Why can't I find her?_

Then a thought dawned on him as he began to weigh all the possibilities in his head. One of these disheartened him immensely.

_Did they remove her from the game?_

Impossible. There was absolutely no way they could remove a character like her. She was immensely popular and her skills were at a moderate level. She could conquer many of the dungeons in the previous game with a decent helper.

He had to convince himself that she was still in this game as well.

_Okay, so the Chinese gods are: Mei Mei, Karin, Sakuya, Haku, and Leilan._

Ray went through the list again searching for all the names of the Chinese gods. He first happened upon Karin on the second page, followed by Mei Mei. Sakuya was on the next page, and then Haku a few pages after that. There was still no sign of Leilan's name.

_What the hell is going on?_

He reached the last page again. His hands were sweating and it was difficult to move his finger across the screen fluidly. For a moment, his vision blurred and he rubbed his eyes, even though the motion was probably the worst course of action. The blur was probably due to the fact that he had been staring so intently at a screen for so long. He also noticed that his face was an unnecessary distance from the tablet. Less than an inch.

When he reached that last page he leaned back in the leather chair. He tried to force himself to relax, but found this to be impossible. Sitting hunched over had actually blocked off his breathing slightly, and he realized he was panting. His encounters with asthma were brief at least.

The bored man behind the desk now eyed him curiously. "Everything okay, kid?"

Ray regarded him with a slight nod. "Yeah, just didn't get enough sleep last night."

The man laughed humorlessly. "Nervous or something?"

Ray let out a soft chuckle. The truth was, the fact he was going to be in this game with the entire world watching him was a little unsettling. He didn't need that added on to the desperation and disbelief he was fighting with right now.

* * *

**Sanctuary, Pirugan Continent**

**May 24, 2020**

**3:02 PM**

**20 hours 58 minutes before launch of PADW**

"I am afraid we are out of time," Metatron announced gravely to the other god monsters that sat at the long table before her.

They all looked down grimly despite their recent victory against Satan and the other unknown dark knight that appeared at Caramoc Cove. The past few days had finally taken a toll on all of their spirits. Even though they had successfully escaped with Pandora's box, Satan's power had proven that there was another force at work that was beyond their comprehension. Satan's unexpected discovery of Pandora was a testament to the fact that his information network and influence extended far beyond their expectations.

Even with the conclusion of the Reversion, they were still losing. They were all straight back to level one.

Metatron's black half-slip dress had been matted with dirt in a recent engagement with dark mystic knights that had attacked one of the outposts that encircled Sanctuary during the engagement with Satan. The caricthmian style fabric, formed from the volatile metal of the same name native to this world, was torn in multiple places. Her cloak was completely incinerated from fighting a pyro demon and the right sleeve of her dress was torn off. Her pink-colored hair was extremely disheveled, even more than usual. Her once radiant face still retained its beauty, but was now worn with heavy, tired eyes.

She stared down at Pandora who slept calmly beside her. When Pandora arrived in Sanctuary, she had been on the verge of passing out from the amount of energy that the box stole from her. The chains of the chest had awoken once more and wrapped themselves around Pandora, feeding hungrily on her life energy. It had taken three of them to pry the chains off and place her a safe distance away. Metatron felt a small bit of relief when she heard Pandora's labored breathing settle down to an even pace.

Metatron turned her attention back to her weary comrades. "The Reversion has deprived us of most of our power. We are, essentially, powerless. However, our enemies are also effected by The Reversion." She paused for a moment to collect herself. "They have some force that is working alongside them. Something we cannot even fathom. I would say it is quite possible we have lost our only advantage."

She rested her book on the stone table and rifled through some of the pages. Metatron analyzed the contents carefully and jotted a few quick notes with a quill and paper that magically appeared from her hands. She muttered under her breath and the quill carried out her commands.

The other gods waited patiently and whispered amongst themselves. They knew not to disturb her during these random moments of inspiration.

After a few moments, one of the gods broke the silence. A timid looking girl with long, flowing blonde hair rose from her seat and clasped her hands behind her. She wore a white skin-tight outfit laced with gold that extended just past her thighs and reached towards her hands to wrap around her fingers like a glove.

She began to play nervously with the end of her golden serpent tail as she spoke, "Metatron, um, I just have a quick question to ask."

Metatron immediately stopped her work to give the girl her full attention. "Yes Sakuya." She took note of Sakuya's trembling hands. "What's the matter?"

Sakuya released her tail and allowed it to settle on the floor behind her. "Do we, well...do we actually have to-partner with one of these Players?"

Metatron sighed with a mixture of exasperation and sympathy. "Sakuya, you told me you had already finished with the book."

Sakuya nodded. "Y-yes, I did, but, um, I closed it before I made my choice. I'm sorry but, I don't think I can do it."

There was a long silence that settled over the room. Some of the other gods glanced at each other awkwardly and exchanged a few brief whispers of conversation. If what Sakuya said was true, then it might already be too late for her to choose a Player from Metatron's book.

Leilan stared at her fellow Chinese god and heaved a heavy sigh. She rose from her seat across from Sakuya and spoke, "Metatron, I have also not chosen a Player as my partner."

Metatron stared at her in disbelief. The last person she expected this from was her.

"You too Leilan? Don't you know what that means?"

Leilan nodded. "Yes. I deemed the situation at Caramoc Cove to be a more pressing matter, so I forfeited my choice."

Metatron desperately flipped through the pages of her book upon hearing this and stepped away from it to give Leilan some room. "This is probably your last chance." She eyed both Sakuya and Leilan. "If you don't choose, then you are leaving your fate up to whoever is currently in control of this world."

Leilan and Sakuya exchanged an uneasy look. It was true that if they didn't take this opportunity now, then they could end up with a Player they didn't desire, or cast off into some forsaken dungeon. Leilan was hoping that she could avoid either of these situations, but Metatron's reaction was now giving her second thoughts.

"Trust your instincts." Metatron pleaded.

The other gods were now silent and sat forward expectantly.

A wind bearing ill omens swept past them and even the circling leaves seemed to not break the uncomfortable silence. Leilan's mind was devoid of sound. She was weary, and contemplation was like trying to run through water. All of her weight was now resting on her hands. Her eyes felt like they were etching the solution for her in the stone of the table.

There was a name she had seen. The name was once prominent in her mind and the name would resolve her dilemma. It was somewhere in the back of her mind, attempting to force everything unnecessary out of the way. If she could find that name again, then maybe, just maybe...

She shook herself from her reverie and urged Sakuya to mirror her. Her eyes focused on the book. The book was already opened to the section she needed and she began searching through all of the Player files.

After a few minutes of analyzing names and Player profiles, she felt another presence beside her and glanced up to see Sakuya fidgeting next to her. Metatron stood back a ways behind them to give the two gods enough space to think without interruption. The other gods waited for Leilan and Sakuya to complete their work.

Leilan reached the end of the Player profiles and realized that none of the names had triggered any recognition whatsoever. She flipped back to the front and scanned over the names again. Even though she was pressed for time, she read each name and even went through the profiles thoroughly to make sure she didn't miss a single word that could jarr her memory.

She finally reached the end of the book, and still she could not find the name she was searching for.

Leilan motioned for Sakuya. "Give me a minute to think."

Sakuya nodded and stared at the book as if it was going to lunge at her like an alligator. She rested her hands on the stone table and took a deep breath before gently turning each page.

 _The name,_ Leilan thought.  _What was his name? Yes, that's right. It was a male. Definitely a male. A young male. What was his name?_

* * *

Two men in black suits and matching tie checked through the pages of the tablet that Ray handed to them. They were both skeptical when Ray told them that a name was missing from the list. He had insisted that he checked at least ten times to make sure that the name was missing, but they still felt the need to see for themselves. After a few minutes, one of the men exited the room to fetch one of the tech supporters in charge of the character selection.

Ray didn't even have time to blink before another man, this one dressed in casual wear, entered the room with an air of calm and took the tablet from the other man. Ray noted his Avenged Sevenfold shirt and the black beanie hat he wore, despite the fact they were in the middle of summer.

The man in the A7X shirt glanced at Ray and gave a short smirk. "Looks like you're right pal. Leilan is not in the character roster here." He handed the tablet to Ray. "Looks like someone in my department is going to be getting an earful. Let me check and make sure Leilan is in the character pool of the main system."

"Thank you," Ray replied. He went back to analyzing the list of characters. He might as well take the time memorizing all he can with the extra time, even if it did encourage an enhanced feeling of apprehension.

The silence in the room settled around him as the two men in black stood at either side of the door, hands clasped behind their backs with shoulders perfectly straight. Ray found it strange how these people acted. He noticed similar men and women in comparative attire who seemed to walk through the halls in a stiff, robotic fashion. Even their eyes seemed glassy as they carefully analyzed each person they came in contact with. They even ate like robots, methodically eating their food with the same amount of time between bites and lacking any sort of conversation. It was kind of creepy. All they needed now were some plain white walls and little silver pens that released flashes of light that mixed up your brain.

After a few more minutes, Leilan's name appeared on the last page.

* * *

Sakuya stepped away from the book and returned to her seat. The look of horror was now plain on her face. She did not want to end up with one of these Players. She didn't trust them. They came from where the Creators were, and she definitely didn't trust  _them_  either.

Leilan approached the book only after Metatron beckoned for her to mirror Sakuya.

With a now steady hand, she flipped through the pages once again and her eyes widened.

There it was. The name. She recognized it immediately. The physical details, the biography, the stats, everything. His eyes. That was what triggered this recognition the most. There was something in those eyes she couldn't quite place, but they put her at ease.

She placed a hand over the page.

* * *

Ray placed his hand over Leilan's page and the screen began its scan. After a few seconds, a message appeared that read,  _Character Selections Complete_. He retracted his hand and handed the tablet to one of the men in black.

"Thank you."

* * *

**Seattle, Washington**

**United States**

**May 25, 2020**

**9:00 AM**

**3 hours before launch of PADW**

"Today is that day ladies and gentleman. You will soon be embarking on a journey through a brand new world the likes of which nobody has ever seen. You will be the first to experience it, and the whole world will be watching you."

The large man scanned the crowd of Players who eagerly awaited the rest of their instructions. Their enthusiasm pleased him greatly.

"Upon entry, you will select three starting pieces of equipment. Then, you will be instructed by the AI, Lo, on how to proceed from there through a brief tutorial so that you may adapt to the game's new mechanics."

He paused to make his next announcement even more dramatic. "When you complete the tutorial, you will then meet your starting monster partner."

The crowd erupted into cheers as they finally received this confirmation. The Players had been wondering if they would meet their partners immediately, and now their prayers had brought reward.

The man waited until the cheers died down before continuing, "In this world, your sense of time will be altered. One day in the game world is equivalent to a single hour in this world. You may enter and exit the virtual world at any time you please. Manage your time wisely. As your Gamemaster, I will ensure that you are logged in and out safely with the help of your designated supervisor. Does anyone have anymore questions?"

One individual raised his hand immediately.

"Yes?"

The young man's friends were snickering around him. He also attempted to stifle his laughter.

"How do we know when we need to take a shit?"

The audience erupted into uncontrollable laughter at this, and even the Gamemaster in all of his professionalism, couldn't suppress a grin.

He answered, "Oh believe me, you'll know."

His answer brought forth more laughter.

Ray felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned to see Lucy motioning to him.

"We are going to meet at the Gods Descended Arena," she whispered in his ear.

Ray nodded. "There is an event scheduled on the database right?"

Keiichi suddenly grabbed him from behind in a tight hug. "This is it man! This is it! Let's kick some ass!"

Lucy joined in on the hug and they rocked back and forth as Ray tried to stay steady on his feet from all the uneven weight.

"We got this!" Lucy shouted along with the cacophony from the other excited Players.

Ray felt the enthusiasm of his friends seep into him. He wanted to maintain an air of calm and collectedness that was a little more to his character, but he just simply couldn't suppress his excitement either.

"To PADW!" Keiichi shouted.

"To PADW!" Ray and Lucy replied in unison.

The time for entry was nearly at hand.

* * *

Two men sat in a closed-off office, separate from other sections of the building where the Players were being given their final instructions. The walls were completely sound-proof, and the mechanical sensors implanted around the room disabled any technological devices that entered the set area. Others from the outside were unaware of this room's existence. Only a select few were granted entrance, and even fewer were actually aware of their employer's intentions.

In the end, all that really mattered to these people was the paycheck and their involvement being strictly anonymous. The consequences of their actions were of no concern, just as long as they did not involve them directly. The suffering of a few Players was a necessary and expected repercussion.

One of the men interrupted the silence, "It would seem that two  _SSS_ s have appeared that are not part of our assembled team."

"Is that so? Interesting. And the chances of this being a coincidence?"

"Considerably less than one percent sir."

There was a slight pause. "Up the surveillance over in the supervisor wing. And begin the process for the LAN isolation. We might pick something up if someone sticks to the original schedule."

"Yes, sir."

"We still maintain control of the system, but I would prefer another once-over of Lo's fail-safes."

"It's already being prepared, sir. And the others?"

"Let events play out as they may. No need for us to risk exposure for a slight inconvenience."


	5. Entry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loading......  
> Bleed Damage: a damage-over-time effect that increases lethality over time. Can typically be mended using certain items. This effect is more realistic and unpredictable in PADW.

_"I've hacked into the most thorough security system in the world during a lunch break. A constantly evolving, goal-driven, malicious AI shouldn't be too much of an issue." -Rick Moore (Former Security Programmer for World Virtual Visions)_

**The Virtual World**

**Pirugan Continent, Vesta Cave**

**May 25, 2020**

**11:45 AM**

**15 minutes before launch of PADW**

Pandora woke to the gentle stream of running water. A cool breeze brushed the hair from her heavy eyes as she attempted to focus on her surroundings. As her eyes adapted to the light, she saw a mixture of colors: green, yellow, red, brown, it was just a muddle of different hues and blurry shapes. Her head lolled back and forth against her meager will. Her body bumped up and down weakly, her drained arms dangling useless.

Her vision sharpened to reveal a canopy of leaves and branches above her.

A forest. She was in a forest.

Just lifting her head brought forth a dizzy spell and she allowed it to fall once again. Her cheek rested against a cool metal surface as her bearer continued up the winding dirt path.

After a few more minutes they came to a halt, and Pandora heard familiar voices.

"This is the place Verche," the soft female voice said.

Pandora felt herself slide off the shoulder of the knight who carried her and she was rested gently on the ground. She looked up to a concealed face completely masked by a white and gold helm. A wing jutted out each side of the helm and a thin V-shaped area was left where the eyes should have been. All she saw through the visor was darkness.

The knight wore a full set of elaborate white and gold body armor. A small shield was attached to one arm and a massive broadsword was slung along his back. His angelic wings were currently retracted.

The knight, Verche, motioned for the unknown individual's attention and Pandora saw Metatron's face come into focus. The concern on her features was apparent. She reached into a satchel and produced a small bottle of some strange liquid.

Another man stood behind her wearing crimson armor and a long matching cape with gold trimming. He let down his hood and revealed a stern middle-aged face with spiked brown hair. He ran a hand over his stubble of a beard as if he were contemplating something.

Metatron settled the bottle over Pandora's lips and she could feel a cool sensation begin to crawl through her veins. A strange lukewarm feeling took over, and the dullness that had overcome her senses washed away. She was far from recovered, but the potion had provided enough strength for her to rise. Pandora took a hesitant, strained step forward with knees threatening to buckle. One leg gave out, but Verche remained at her side and rested a hand under an arm to right her. She nodded to the knight gratefully and examined her surroundings.

Her suspicions were confirmed. They were in a forest, and off to the side she observed a tall cliff face that she assumed was a part of the Sacred Mt. Bakkes. A wide gaping cave greeted the group.

The older warrior in red stepped towards the cave and set the chest he was carrying on the ground. Pandora recognized it as her box.

"Wait here," the man said. "I will scout ahead."

"Thank you, Cao Cao." Metatron nodded her appreciation.

Cao Cao descended into the tunnel and disappeared.

Metatron turned back to Pandora. "How are you?"

Pandora shook her head to clear the rest of the fuzziness from her vision. "Well enough. I think I can walk at least."

Metatron nodded with relief. "Great to hear. We haven't much time."

The two females noticed Verche curiously approach the mouth of the cave. He extended his wings and flew up to a ledge so he could get a better view of the surrounding area. As he scanned the vastness of the forest, his gaze fell upon a shaking of the canopy somewhere in the distance. He judged that the span couldn't be more than a few klicks. His trained eyes focused deeper into the area of interest. They narrowed as he confirmed his suspicions.

He dropped back down to Metatron and Pandora to report his findings. Cao Cao had just exited the cave as he landed.

"We have been discovered," Verche reported.

Metatron's eyes widened in disbelief. "How? That's impossible. Sun Quan and Athena are leading a group to hold their attention."

Cao Cao cursed under his breath, "Apparently our ruse was unsuccessful." He drew his short sword.

Verche stepped in front of the rest of his comrades and readied his broadsword, with the addition of a few adjustments to his shield to ready himself for combat.

"You'd best get moving," he suggested. "I will buy you the time needed."

Metatron was about to protest, but she stopped herself as she glanced over at Pandora, who still remained unsteady on her feet. There was no way they could ensure Pandora's safety in an all-out engagement. There was also the box to consider. If any of their enemies managed to get a hold of it...the risk was far too great. She hated leaving her comrade behind, but there was really no choice in the matter. Verche knew what had to be done, and sitting here arguing just ate away at the time Verche would be giving them. Even though the Reversion had drained them of nearly all their power Metatron did not doubt Verche's fighting ability. He was still a magnificent warrior. Maybe there was still a chance he could make an escape once they had distanced themselves enough. Metatron struggled to convince herself but...

Metatron nodded reluctantly. "Very well Verche. Thank you."

She grabbed Pandora's box and led the way to the cave.

Pandora stumbled to Verche and hugged him around the waste. "Be safe Verche."

Verche sensed the guilt in her voice and he turned to crouch in front of her. He rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We do what we must," he said. "Stay hidden and wait for the others."

Pandora nodded sadly and stumbled back to Metatron. The two females spared one last look behind them before disappearing into the cave.

Verche halted Cao Cao with his extended blade as he moved to stand beside him. Cao Cao gave him a hard stare as he understood the meaning behind the motion.

"You need to go to Valhalla."

Cao Cao grunted. "If you think I'm leaving you to get slaughtered-"

"The Valkyries need Metatron's message. That is the task you were given," Verche interrupted with his even tone.

Cao Cao clenched his fists, not just because of the situation, but because he knew that Verche was right. Everyone had their own duties to fulfill. Verche had accepted his, so the least Cao Cao could do was uphold his end.

"I should technically be your superior," Cao Cao growled, attempting to mask his concern. "Where do you get off talking to me like that?"

With that last remark, he extended his hand and his expression softened. Verche stared at it as if the gesture was foreign to him. After an uncertain moment, he drove his sword into the ground and took Cao Cao's hand in a firm handshake.

Cao Cao nodded and made his way through the forest in the opposite direction.

A terrifying, guttural scream erupted from behind Verche in the forest. An ominous silence followed. The monsters that were approaching were out for blood. The animals all fled and even the wind had retreated. The only sound that reached Verche's ears was the running water of the stream that had no option for changing course, and his own even breath.

Verche drew his sword from the dirt and twirled it in his hand a few times to stretch and loosen his fingers.

* * *

**Seattle, Washington**

**United States**

**May 25, 2020**

**11:45 AM**

**15 minutes before launch of PADW**

Ray laid back in the padded reclining chair and stared at the ceiling with a mixture of hopeful anticipation and apprehension. He was elated to be entering a world that he had so long dreamed of; on the other hand, the wires and flashing lights from the many consoles that surrounded him were foreign to him, and who knows where those wires would be inserted or how it would feel to actually enter the world. He hadn't really put much thought into it until now.

The room had a pleasant setup at least. A couple of love seats, a wood table, and some other furnishings dotted the room. There was even a mini refrigerator in the far corner. Ray didn't really see the point since he was going to be in the virtual world most of the time, but perhaps it was to put him at ease and to give the room a more homely feel. If the room had been painted a plain white all over with just the wires and gadgets, it would have probably felt like a patient room in some asylum.

As he mulled over his thoughts, the metal door on the other side of the room opened and a woman entered carrying a small briefcase. She adjusted her spectacles as she approached Ray. It was Emily, the supervisor he had spoken to when he finished his physical and intrinsic tests.

She walked over to the table, grabbed one of the chairs, and pulled it over next to Ray. Before taking a seat, she looked over Ray as if he were some rare specimen in a science experiment. Well, that assessment wasn't too far off. The Players were practically beta testers for the game. Guinea pigs.

Emily finally sat down, opened the briefcase, and rifled through its contents. Through the whole exchange, neither of them spoke a word. One was waiting for the other to speak: Emily expecting anticipated questions, and Ray hoping for explanations without the need for inquiries.

Emily found what she was looking for and decided to break the silence. She gave him an encouraging smile that was unexpected. "So, the time has come. Excited?"

Ray shrugged. "Yeah but," he paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "Not sure how I feel about all of, well..." He gestured to the wires and flashing buttons. "This. That's all."

Emily nodded. "Don't worry. I am here to ensure that you have a safe entry."

Ray went back to looking at the ceiling unsure of how to respond. He noticed that he'd been holding his breath. He let it out in a silent stream and felt better just from the simple realization. It meant he was thinking clearly again.

"These implants will just be giving the guys upstairs some neural readings to gauge the game's stability. It has already been tested through every conceivable scenario. With all the fail-safes and protocols we have in place, we have a one hundred percent safety guarantee."

Ray let out a soft chuckle. "Well, that's reassuring."

"By the way," Emily added. "I looked at some other bits of information about you. Did you start the original game late or did you just not have time for it? Your rank was pretty low. Not that it really means anything mind you."

The humor left Ray's voice with the reminder. "Yeah, I started the game pretty late. Didn't own a phone that could run it at the time." He went back to staring at the ceiling. "The only thing that worries me a bit is not being taken seriously because of it."

Emily shrugged. "Think of it this way. It might actually make it easier to travel under the radar. You may surprise people."

Ray pondered her words for a moment. She didn't know him at all. The only things she did know were typed out on pieces of paper in someone else's own words. Maybe there was something in those reports. The possibility gave him some much needed confidence.

"A word of advice," Emily said after a short silence. Her tone had taken an immediate turn and was now dead serious. "The monsters in this world are far wiser than you think. Listen to them. They have valuable information and wisdom."

Ray eyed her curiously. He had already known that the interactions with the NPCs (non-playable characters) and monsters were supposed to be something nothing short of revolutionary, but the way she had offered her suggestion remained most prominent. It was as if she had interacted with the monsters herself at one point. But that would have been impossible. Nobody entered the virtual world before today. So what was it?

"Why are you telling me this?" Ray asked.

Emily gave him a friendly, reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I'm the type of person who likes to root for the underdog. I've had the opportunity to see how this world works from a screen. Oh, and speaking of screens, don't forget that people all over the world are going to be watching you guys in there. They will be expecting great things."

Ray groaned. "Don't remind me. Was never really good in front of an audience."

Emily laughed genuinely. "Well, if you ever want some privacy, here is another little tidbit. Dwellings that you live in, Arbor fountains, and some other areas will not have viewers watching you. So there's that."

With all this information, Ray began to suspect even more that it wasn't just because he was an underdog. No, definitely not.

Before he had the opportunity to question further, she tossed him the virtual headgear. He caught it easily, but was still surprised that she decided to throw what was most likely a delicate and expensive piece of equipment.

Ray examined the surface of the headgear and ran his fingers over the shallow grooves. It looked like a motorcycle helmet that covered the top half of his head with a visor that laid over his eyes.

Emily attached a metal band to his wrist that would be his personal database and inserted a few wires into the ports. "Nice reflexes," she commented.

After she finished the remaining preparations with the hardware, she approached a console and ran her hand over the holographic screen. She typed in her username and password, entered his intrinsic scan settings, and then another few bits of data.

"Alright, put the headgear on," Emily said.

Ray nodded, took a deep breath, and placed the helmet on his head. The padding on the inside actually made it extremely comfortable. A Player always wants to be comfortable when gaming for hours on end, but if he was going to be focused in this virtual world, did it really matter?

Ray turned his head to Emily whose skin was now a faded cerulean due to the glass of the visor. She was looking straight at him and had her finger held over an unseen button. By the uncertain expression on her face, she seemed to be considering something that Ray couldn't be sure of.

"Is it all good?" Ray asked.

The brisk nod from Emily wasn't convincing. "Yup. I'm going to set the timer for entry. You will be entered automatically when it hits twelve o'clock."

She pressed the button, closed her briefcase, and strode to the door with an extra spring in her step. She spared one last glance back at Ray and exited the room without another word.

* * *

**The Virtual World**

**Pirugan Continent, Vesta Cave**

**May 25, 2020**

**11:50 AM**

**10 minutes before launch of PADW**

Verche slashed at the nearest of the taur demons, the creature's dog-like head sliced clean off and its body disappeared in a glittering shower of data particles. The other taur demons were unfazed by the death of their comrade and pushed forward in ever-growing numbers to overwhelm Verche. Their hooved feet dug into the ground and kicked up waves of dirt. Verche found himself pushed back to the cave's entrance. The taur demons halted just outside the reach of his broadsword. They mocked him with their permanent grins splayed over their faces. The monsters tested Verche with a few quick thrusts of their pikes and tridents.

Normally in this situation, Verche would have taken to the air where he had more freedom of movement. The black devil wings on the taur demons gave them flight, but their maneuvering skills in the air were sub par at best. They were approximately a head shorter than Verche, and their wings were not developed suitably to support their size. But if Verche did choose to take advantage of the skies, the demons would have no resistance on the ground, which meant they could easily enter the cave and pursue the true prey: Metatron and Pandora. So Verche was now stuck between a literal rock and a hard place.

Verche spared a glance over his shoulder to stare at the sun above, which had turned into a bright purple with the familiar swirling tendrils akin to the glowing moon during The Reversion. The only difference was that this was the sun instead of the moon, and the light was purple rather than a fluorescent yellow. Even though the time for the Players' arrival was at hand, he knew that he was out of time.

"So close," Verche muttered.

The taur demons noticed the transformation of the sun as well, and realized they had little time to finish off their foe. They all charged in unison, some of them attempting to slip by Verche as others attacked him head on.

The Reversion may have significantly reduced Verche's power, but he was not without his eternal arsenal of weaponry. He drove his broadsword into the ground and its insertion bid forth an invisible outward force that pushed the taur demons back, sending some of them flying into their comrades at the rear and into the surrounding foliage. They recovered themselves whilst maintaining their evil grins.

Verche whispered, "I am Godly Knight of the Sky, Verche. Weapons of the light, of the sun, hear my call."

As he spoke these words, a board full of glowing orbs appeared in front of him, shining brilliant before his eyes standing nearly at Verche's height of six feet. The taur demons backed up instinctively. Even they couldn't mask their surprise upon seeing the board of orbs. It was something that only Players should have possessed, but Verche's was different.

The board consisted of five rows and six columns like a typical Player board. Players matched same color orbs in groups of three or more to give power to their monsters, depending upon the orb attributes they matched; however, Verche's orbs differed. Instead of having the typical attributes of light, dark, wood, fire, and water, Verche's orbs held symbols of weapons. For Verche, a master of light weapons, his board held infinite possibilities that only his trained eyes could discern.

He eyed the board for only a brief moment before placing an armored finger on an orb with the symbol of a scimitar etched into it. He moved it around the board. As this orb moved, the overlapped orbs took the place of the moving orb's previous position. When he was finished, he had formed five combinations of three matched orbs for five different types of weapons.

Upon completion, the groups of orbs vanished and five beams of pale yellow light descended from some unseen points in the sky. Five weapons, one in each pillar of light, descended and embedded themselves in the ground around Verche, showering all combatants in geysers of rock and dirt. The weapons smoked from the searing heat of descent, but Verche embraced the pain as he drew his first weapon from the ground. He approached a second weapon and readied this one as well.

In his hands he held a short halberd and a broadsword even more massive than his previous one. Circles with strange runes spawned and spun slowly around the blades.

The taur demons charged, undeterred by this magnificent display. Their minds and hearts were strangers to fear. The lead taur demon leaped high over Verche and stabbed out with its pitchfork, but was met by the blade of Verche's halberd. The taur demon impaled itself on the blade and struggled to free itself despite certain death. It felt no pain, and so it was unaware of death's embrace until the time actually arrived. It disappeared in a burst of data.

A trio of demons focused on Verche's feet, but he had already extended his wings mid-thrust to push himself back a few feet to give himself room to swing the halberd horizontally. The axe blade of the halberd cut through all three demons and they vanished.

Verche was now standing a short ways into the cave and realized that its mouth opened up to a steep descent with rocks and notable paths providing multiple entrances to the tunnels below. The area allowed no room to maneuver with all the debris, and the many paths would make it too easy for the taur demons to slip past. He beat his wings furiously and thrust forward, swatting a large group of demons aside with his wings and weapons in a controlled spiral. Verche now found himself just outside the entrance of the cave once more. He lashed out as four demons attempted to leap down upon him from above. His broadsword cut through them like twigs.

As he was occupied with the demons on the ledge, another eager group approached Verche from behind and stabbed up through a crease near the lower back of his armor. Verche groaned in pain as two pikes drove into the left side of his back and one through his wing. A circle of light energy swirled around his halberd upon his command and he launched a beam of energy amidst the remaining demons on the ledge. The ledge and demons exploded in a shower of light. Those that had managed to escape Verche's attack were crushed by boulders as they fell to the ground. This gave him the opportunity to focus on the demons still driving their weapons into his blind side. He whirled about and cut through his attackers, severing limbs and damaging morale. The halberd in his hand flickered and seemed to shift in and out of existence. Then it vanished.

Verche rushed to one of his other weapons and lifted a double-edged axe from the ground. He adjusted his weight to achieve a new dual wielding stance. The axe was slightly heavier than the halberd, and the weight was distributed more towards the center rather than the end.

More taur demons made a break for the cave and Verche batted them aside with his outstretched wings and twirling heavy weapons. His enemies soon realized that there was no way they would be rushing around him until he was subdued. All attempts at distraction were abandoned. Dozens of taur demons braced their weapons in both hands and attacked from the front and both sides. Verche managed to parry aside most of the weapons, but a few pierced through and he felt another sharp pain as tridents and pikes drove marginally through his side armor. A taur demon received a sword to the chest and the sword vanished just as the halberd did. Verche lashed out and his metaled fist broke the jaw of another demon, sending it careening through its allies' lined formation.

Verche took this opportunity to grab another weapon, this one a spear, and stabbed through the chest of a demon that had strayed too far from its squad. Its partner, who was unfortunate enough to be behind it, was also impaled through the stomach. As Verche prepared to withdraw his spear, two taur demons jumped up on either side of him. Only one weapon was now free; there was only an opportunity to slice one of the demons with his axe. The second demon landed and drove its pike into Verche's shoulder. Verche relaxed his body to better endure the pain of the expected blow, but he felt the arm holding his spear begin to weaken and sag. He dropped his spear, grabbed the demon on his shoulder roughly by the neck, flung it to the ground, and stomped a metal boot on its face.

Verche thrust his axe forward and crushed the pharynx of another charging demon. In the midst of his forward motion, another weapon entered his leg and he felt the leg collapse underneath him. He managed to bend his leg just enough to land heavily on one knee to maintain an uncomfortable crouched defense. He looked at his leg and saw a trident driven into the back of his knee. One of the demons had opted to throw its weapon rather than come into range of Verche's expertly wielded weapons. He jerked the weapon out with a grunt and ignored the blood that spewed forth.

The wounded warrior miraculously found the strength to will his wounded leg forward and approached the final weapon that a group of demons were struggling to pull out of the ground. It was impossible for the demons to draw the blade, it was already bound to Verche.

Verche cut down the demons that circled his weapon and his axe flickered out. He forced his final weapon from the dirt with his functioning arm and readied himself for what he assumed would be the last bout. One of his arms now hung useless at his side, blood dripping from his burned fingertips, and the limp in one of his legs was all too palpable. If it weren't for The Reversion draining most of his power, he may have been able to handle these lesser monsters despite their massive numbers. The knight, in his gravely weakened state, gave the demons all the confidence they needed, and they strode forward with no concern for their own lives.

Verche breathed a small bit of thanks, for the demons had completely forgotten about Metatron and Pandora. His mighty display provided all the distraction they needed.

Verche swung his newly acquired weapon, a scimitar, in an upper arc and cut through the chest of a taur demon that strayed too far from its companions in its eagerness. The demon lifted up onto its toes and Verche brought the blade back down to deepen the gash. The momentum of his swing made it impossible for him to cut the next taur demon to his side so he landed a devastating kick into the demon's face and sent its crumpled form into the nearest tree. To his other side, three more demons drove their tridents into his last strong leg. Three tri-blades tore through muscle and tendon, rendering it useless. Verche ignored the pain, swinging his scimitar wildly in desperation and destroyed the attacking taur demons with his undisciplined attacks. Finesse had been abandoned. Form had been discarded. All that was left was to kill as many of the bastards as possible for his own satisfaction.

He fought from his knees, both legs weakened with a useless arm hanging at his side.

After what seemed like an eternity, his last weapon flickered out. He stared at his empty hands. Typically in this situation, anyone else, seeing the absence of their weapon, would have deemed the battle over. But not Verche. Not him.

He spared one last look at the sky and saw that the light tendrils had disappeared from around the sun.  _So very close._

The demons let out a triumphant howl and threw themselves at Verche. He fought as best he could with the remaining strength in his one arm. He managed to grab the tattered cloth wrapped around a demon's neck. He pulled it down to ground level as he brought his head forward and crushed its face with his helmet. A few demons fell to the power of his fist: jaws broken, throats crushed, and bones shattered, but soon even that was extinguished. Tridents and pikes drove into his stomach area, shoulders, and lower back. They tore viciously at his once beautiful, grand wings until the nerves went numb. He lay their in a damaged heap, blood flowing from his grievous wounds, his golden armor splattered and tarnished by the blood of his enemies and his own.

On the ground he saw one of the ornamental wings that had been cut off his helmet. Hooves stomped over it and buried it into the dirt. With what little energy remained, he reached out for it earnestly, hooves and blades clouding his vision as they beat against his helmet. He grasped the token firmly in his metal fingers. Before his eyes surrendered to darkness, he drew the broken wing to his chest and held it like a cherished infant.

* * *

**?**

**?**

**May 25, 2020**

**12:00 PM**

**Prepare for Launch**

White. All around was this pure milky white. Rays of light sparkled with tiny particles all over and streams of numbers, letters, and symbols flowed within, shifting colors according to the light's refractions. It was impossible to tell where was up or down or if he was floating or falling.

Ray's eyes adjusted to the blinding beams and he realized that some of the data streams flowed through his body. They flowed through his hands, legs, feet. Everywhere. It was accompanied by a brief tingling sensation as if his limbs had fallen asleep.

The silence of the data world was interrupted by a mechanical female voice, " _Welcome Player. Please stand-by as final configurations are implemented._ "

Ray felt his limbs tighten. The stiffness was not painful, but the lack of control instituted a brief panic. One of the rays of light began to bend and focused its attention on Ray. The stream of data passed silently into him.

" _Downloading intrinsic settings. Adjusting settings according to updates. Applying intrinsic settings in 3,2,1...Brace for pulse."_

Ray felt his body jerk upwards as if he had been applied a shock from an AED. His back arched and his fingers flexed against his will. It felt as if his muscles were being stretched taught and limbs extended. After only a few seconds, his body relaxed. There had been no pain throughout the entire process.

" _Intrinsic settings applied. Initiating neural safety protocols 1-37. Connecting manual fail-safe links 1-7...success. No complications with connection."_

The white area melted away and was replaced by glowing, lime green grids encompassing a pitch blackness. The rays of data streams faded to nothingness and Ray now found himself standing. He tapped his foot on the unseen surface a few times to be sure. Below the invisible surface he observed more grids that pulsated with lines of some unknown energy.

_"Please stand on the white grid, Player."_

One of the black grids with the green edges began to glow white and Ray did as he was told. The light rose above him and consumed his form. As he looked at his arms he saw black metal wrist guards appear and his hands became enveloped in dark leather gloves. His chest and back were now covered by a thin onyx cuirass with three layers of overlapping metal. Ebony shin guards and flexible waist armor appeared. His shoulders were armored with low-rounded pauldrons. To finish the outfit off, he slipped his arms into a long, and surprisingly light, black coat.

When the light disappeared, Ray gave his body another look and grinned like an excited child introduced to its first ever toy store. He flicked his finger upon his armor and it responded with a ring that interrupted the stillness of the data space.

_Oh my god this is so badass._

_"Please make three gear selections."_

As soon as the female voice finished, areas of the grids slid open to make way for rising dark green racks. They locked into place with a soft click and Ray could see hundreds upon hundreds of weapons and shields on display.

_Okay, this is pretty cool too,_  Ray thought, unable to contain his excitement.

He lifted the closest weapon, a short sword, and felt its weight in his hands and the roughness of its leather grip. It was incredible. It felt so real, and he could even feel the coolness seep through his gloves and settle into his hands from running them over the blade. He tested some other weapons: axes, halberds, pikes, scimitars, spears, broadswords, shurikens, maces, katanas, shields, bows, hell, even nun-chucks. Each one had its own balance of weight, grip, and size for any range of individuals.

Ray stopped himself as he happened upon a rack of katanas. One of the swords caught his eye and he lifted it gingerly, one hand on the pommel, and the other settled on the flat of the blade with his fingertips. He estimated that the blade itself must have been a little over three feet in length, a pretty typical size for samurai swords. Ray extended his right arm and held the sword parallel to the ground to test its weight. He nodded with satisfaction as his arm began to strain but did not tremble. A fine weight. Nice balance.

The hilt of the sword danced through his fingertips and the blade made majestic, whirling arcs, cutting through the air smoothly from the sword's fine craftsmanship. It did not falter in its course and it obeyed Ray's will with no flaws to interrupt its cutting motions.

Satisfied, Ray retrieved the blade's scabbard. He slid the blade into its home and slung the weapon over his back.

The next few racks he ignored. He did not want another primary weapon. Instead, he searched for a shorter, lighter weapon for his secondary.

As he scoured the remaining racks, he happened upon a strange gadget comprised of black leather that attached to the wrist. He approached it curiously and also noticed upon closer inspection a web of leather straps with a small switch between two of them, along with a wire that extended to the bulk of the leather. A metal compartment was attached to the underside with another small lever along a clear divot behind it to be pulled back.

He decided to try on the leather gadget and he slid his hand through it easily. He noticed that the web of thin leather straps fit between his fingers and the switch was just within reach of his thumb. He pulled the buckle so it fit tight on his wrist. Flexing his fingers was actually rather easy and were not impeded in the least.

Ray drew his thumb back, flicked the switch and, to his surprise, a hidden blade appeared from the metal compartment on the underside of his wrist.

Ray let out a laugh as he realized what he had just discovered. "A hidden blade," he said out loud between chuckles. "This is some Assassins Creed stuff right here."

There was no question about it. He was definitely going to keep this. It would take quite a bit of practice to make it a viable weapon in an engagement, but it was a weapon that he figured would really pay off in the long run.

His final weapon was a quick choice, a short scimitar that he could attach to his waste for quick access. The hilt was about the width of his hand. It would be a rather simple one-handed weapon.

He returned to the glowing circle and the female voice resounded through the grid space once again.

_"Please wait. Your Puzzle and Dragons Personal Database is being submitted."_

As soon as her last word was spoken, Ray's free wrist began to glow. Lines of light shifted over various places and seemed to be etching the database like an artist would sketch a drawing. When the glow had taken a specific shape, it exploded in a puff of light dust.

Attached to Ray's wrist was a teal, banded device with three slots on its underside. A few flat, faded buttons ran along its surface. It reached halfway to his elbow and it almost seemed to be embedded into his skin.

_"Your personal database has completed updates and transferred. Access your device to view inventory, analyze the world map, highlight specific locations, organize your monster box, manage your team, and more. Prepare for transfer to Departure Tower."_

Ray felt his body begin to lighten and he vanished in a pillar that connected him to the data stream.


	6. Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loading.....  
> Magic Stones: Used in the original Puzzle and Dragons as a valuable form of currency to purchase storage space, add max number of friends, and pull on the rare egg machine. Magic stones have many uses, one of these involving energy storage/transfer.

_"...I can embrace my compromises/or organize my towering lies/quelling the trifles of life/while embracing this purposeful strife/(Shout it out)/We'll make it there I'm sure/(Sacrifice)/For me you are the cure/For you I'll pay the price..." -lines from the Puzzle and Dragons "World" game opening theme (sung by Rina Nakamura and Keith Aitken)_

**The Virtual World**

**Pirugan Continent, Departure Tower**

**In-Game Timer: Day 1**

**1:37 PM**

Ray stood upon a flat, stone surface shrouded by a thick fog. The area was devoid of wind and a slight chill settled in the air.

The newly awakened warrior analyzed his surroundings cautiously. Nothing hostile seemed to be in his midst. He relaxed himself and took in the  _feeling_  of this new world.

As he strode forward through the fog he came upon a square hole in the stone with a staircase leading into the darkness below. He advanced past this a few feet to scan for anything that lay beyond, but he found himself standing at the edge of the stone, gazing down through empty air. He could not discern how far down the distance was due to the fog. He decided that nothing else was to be found, so he backtracked to the staircase and descended into the dark. Ray ran his hands over the wall as he progressed down the spiral staircase and soon came upon a doorway with a faint light emanating from it.

He proceeded with a quickened pace, taking two steps at a time, and found himself in a massive room with a ceiling comprised of squares with fluorescent light from some unknown source. The walls consisted of panels of stacked stone. The construction of the walls appeared to be unstable in Ray's opinion, but perhaps its thickness attributed to its ability to support the unyielding weight of the ceiling above.

The sound of Ray's leather boots padded silently, preventing his footfalls from echoing throughout the empty room. He drew his katana from the scabbard on his back slowly to avoid making any sudden or threatening movements. It was a large room, and there was not a single enemy to be found. This didn't feel normal. Open spaces were typically a source for conflict in games, providing area for the Player to maneuver and for the insertion of multiple enemies large and small. Especially large.

As he crept forward, a dark oval shape began to form from the darkness where the boxes of light on the ceiling ended. He lowered himself and leveled his sword parallel with the ground and brought the hilt level with his eyes. His elbows evened out as the shape drew closer. Just as he was about to shift his feet, a small white creature in half an egg shell floated in front of him.

It had small wings on its back that kept it afloat and two paw-like hands resting over the shell where its belly should have been. The white monster looked like a child's plush toy, nestled comfortably in the shell. A bright yellow star was etched into its front. The creature couldn't have been much larger than the size of a basketball.

"A tamadra," Ray breathed in amazement.

It smiled cutely at Ray and hovered near his face. Ray reached out with a bit of hesitation, but the tamadra made no signs of moving. He rested his hand on the monster's head and it snuggled against his palm happily and made a soft purring sound like a cat. It seemed to sense that Ray was not a threat.

 _I'm patting a tamadra. I'm petting a monster!_  Ray thought with wonder.

Ray became so entranced by this wonderful moment that he failed to notice a hulking figure approaching his blind side. The tamadra spotted it first, its eyes widened fearfully and it grabbed Ray's arm, urging him to follow. He took the time to glance over his shoulder to see a massive blood-red figure dragging its massive feet along the stone. A wooden club scraped along the floor behind it, held by a massive hand riddled with spikes on the knuckles. One of its arms was encased in sharp- edged armor with a curved blade protruding at the elbow. Its lower jaw overlapped its upper lip and two long fangs snaked along the mouth. Its eyes were a darkened yellow, but Ray could tell exactly where it was looking as a cloudy outer membrane shifted in direction.

The creature straightened itself and heaved its shoulders back, letting out a terrifying roar that echoed throughout the dungeon and showered the floor with its putrid saliva.

Ray and the tamadra drew back from the monster as it took another intimidating step forward.

 _Holy shit!_ Ray thought with a mixture of pure amazement and a touch of fear.

He couldn't believe how real the monster was. He was even more amazed by the fact that his own senses confirmed this supposed realness. Ray could smell its rancid breath, feel the ground shake as the monster strode forward, and he could hear the distinct cracking of the stone. The physical aspects of the monster were also astounding: the slight wrinkles in its facial features, the bending of its toes as they planted on the ground, and the visible retractions of its muscles. All of it was incredibly detailed.

A familiar voice interrupted his racing thoughts and seemed to emanate from the walls. It was the same mechanical female voice from before.

" _This is a final message for the Player, Ray Andylon. Welcome to the Departure Tower. The battle tutorial will now commence. Upon completion of the battle tutorial, you will have access to the Pirugan Continent where you will meet your monster partner. I wish you luck on your journey."_

The end of the message was the monster's cue to charge forward. It did so recklessly and waved the club over its head with no attempt at control. It brought the club down hard, but Ray easily anticipated the monster's strike. The monster's attacks were slow and exaggerated, but they packed a heavy punch as attested by the cracked stone floor.

Broken stone showered around Ray and his small companion. One particularly large piece of debris glanced off of Ray's shoulder, and he instinctively reached out with his arm to touch the bruised area.

His hand flinched with a moment of realization.  _Pain?_

Ray ran for his life. He wanted to get as much distance between himself and the monster as possible so he could analyze it with the personal database on his wrist.

The sting in his arm was nothing he couldn't handle. In fact, judging from the size of the debris, it should have hurt a hell of a lot more. The pain in his arm almost immediately subsided, but he wasn't about to stick around to see what a direct hit from the ogre's club felt like.

Ray activated the database when the distance was more than sufficient. A menu appeared that floated a few inches above his wrist. He immediately found a holographic symbol on the bottom left of the menu consisting of a circle and bending lines. A giant 'A' was also at its center. He ran his hand over the symbol and the circle discarded the lines and enlarged itself, taking over the menu. A line extended outwards and wrapped around the epicenter like some sort of radar. After only a few seconds, an analysis report appeared.

_Monster: Armored Dark Ogre/Attribute: Dark/Health:2,000/ATK: 150/DEF:0/Active Skill:Resolve/Active Skill: Fury_

Ray reacted just in time to avoid the ogre's next heavy attack. Its speed took Ray by surprise as he focused on the analysis. He jumped into a shoulder roll and came up into his stance with his katana at the ready.

As the ogre approached, Ray's tamadra partner floated down, its face was puffed up with a determined expression. However, Ray could see that the poor monster was trembling slightly, and its little hands were bundled up into something akin to a clenched fist.

"You're going to help me fight?" Ray asked in disbelief.

The tamadra turned to him and nodded.

_This is far too real._

Ray narrowed his eyes at the ogre that now stared down at them. Its mouth was contorted into what Ray took for a sneer.

 _Doesn't seem like a very fair tutorial, but screw it._  Ray rested his hand over the slots on the underside of the database attached to his wrist.

After a few seconds, a barrier enshrouded Ray in a generously sized semicircle. Layers of faded blue light emitted from its surface, making it just barely visible. As the barrier formed, a holographic board appeared and presented Ray with an array of scattered orbs of varying colors. He eyed the orbs: light, dark, wood, water, and fire. Next to the board of orbs was an image of the tamadra with all its stats, attributes, and skills listed. What was most interesting about the tamadra's attributes was that it encompassed all of them. This was considerably different from the first Puzzle and Dragons. On the opposite side of the board were Ray's stats: health, level, attribute, etc. Ray was surprised to see that he actually had an attribute associated with his character in the first place. He was even more puzzled as he noted the purple crescent moon symbol that appeared next to his name.

_I'm a dark attribute?_

He focused his attention back to the board and threw together a few quick three-match combinations of dark, light, and fire orbs to see what kind of effect it would have on the tamadra's attack. Monsters typically had a primary attribute (and a sub-attribute in some forms). It was incredible to think that some monsters could possibly have up to five. Perhaps it was just for the sake of the tutorial, but it was worthy of consideration nonetheless.

The tamadra dodged the ogre's clumsy attack and positioned itself next to the monster's face. It squeezed its eyes shut as Ray completed the orb combinations and issued the power to it. The monster's tiny paw hands conjured a glass orb with three smaller orbs swirling around inside. The three orbs contained a flame symbol, a sun symbol, and the symbol of a crescent moon. They were red, yellow, and purple respectively. The three orbs were the same as the ones that Ray completed with his combinations.

The tamadra readied the glass orb and flung it at the ogre's face. It shattered and emitted purple, golden, and crimson beams of energy that shot in all directions, embedding themselves in the enemy's arms, legs, and any other limbs within their path. One beam even shattered the ogre's club, incinerating it in a final explosion of wood and splinters.

"Tama!" the tamadra shouted triumphantly in its high-pitched, cute voice.

It backed away instinctively as the ogre made a blind grasp at its tiny adversary.

An image formed next to the tamadra on Ray's holographic screen and the ogre's health bar appeared briefly. The bar lowered and the number changed from two thousand to one thousand four hundred. The tamadra's attack was only one hundred. Ray reasoned that there was such a thing as critical hits in this world as well. Hitting the ogre in the face, along with the three combinations of orbs allowed for extra damage. He didn't know exactly how the damage system worked in this world compared to the first game, but so far it was pretty darn cool.

More orbs dropped down on his board and he decided to mix it up a bit to see how some other combinations of orbs worked with the tamadra. He put together another quick combo of water, wood, and light orbs.

As he finished, the orbs vanished and a giant red 'X' appeared over the screen and the remaining orbs faded to gray.

_What the hell?_

The tamadra's attack did not appear and it glanced back worriedly at Ray. Ray's eyes widened as the wounded ogre rose and brought back its fist to crush the poor egg monster.

"Watch out!" Ray shouted as he disengaged the barrier that surrounded him.

The tamadra didn't register his warning in time and took a glancing blow as it simply shifted in any random direction. The little monster rolled along the floor and came to rest on its back. It forced itself to roll over to free its wings to take flight, but it was too late. The ogre was already upon it and lifted its foot in the air to crush the tiny creature.

As the ogre was about to bring its massive foot down, Ray leaped in katana drawn, and sliced at the beast's achilles heel. He also took the opportunity to whirl about and stab into the top of the monster's foot.

The ogre howled in pain and fell on its rear end grasping its foot.

Ray rushed over to the tamadra and knelt beside it protectively.

"You okay bud?" Ray asked.

Ray noticed that the star on the tamadra's shell was scuffed with a gray line cutting across it.

Ray shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry. Your shell got messed up. I forgot that the board locks up at intervals."

The tamadra righted itself and tested its wings a few times before taking flight. It rested on Ray's shoulder and patted him on the head.

Ray was about to respond, but stopped himself as a thought dawned on him. He was communicating with a monster in this virtual world. The creature understood him and responded just like any other individual in the real world might. If this little tamadra creature had this ability, then what would it be like when he met the other monsters, especially the ones that assumed a human form? His excitement returned at an almost frightening level. After all, this new world was what he always wanted. What he always dreamed of.

He shook himself from his reverie and turned back to his little comrade. "Well pal, looks like its time to double-team this freak."

The tamadra narrowed its eyes at the ogre and beat its paws together.

Ray's personal database beeped and he glanced down to see that the board was now ready. The previously matched orbs emitted their energy and the tamadra conjured another glass ball with the swirling orb symbols inside.

Ray considered returning to puzzle mode to solve another board, but he discarded the thought almost immediately in favor of fighting alongside his new friend.

He silenced the alert on the database and nodded to the tamadra. "Ready bud?"

The tamadra returned the nod with renewed vigor upon seeing that Ray had opted to stand alongside it in the engagement.

"Let's do this!" Ray shouted.

They charged at the wounded ogre and brought their weapons to bear.

* * *

**Seattle, Washington**

**United States**

**May 25, 2020**

**Real World Time- 12:02 PM**

Thomas Malkin sat back in his seat as another corporate individual ascended the stairs leading up to the podium on the stage. This new person, wearing a typical formal sports coat, shook hands with the previous speaker and made his way to the podium to deliver his own speech. He settled himself at the podium and opened with a similar line that mirrored the rest of the speeches.

Malkin already found himself lacking interest. The speaker's words were becoming muffled, and the prominent whispers of the audience contrasted to create an unpleasant hum of noise. He ran a hand over his buzzed, graying hair just for the sake of the movement. As the speech continued, he moved to his stubble of a beard instead. He had always been rather fidgety, but the sheer boredom was getting to him, and he found that the twitch of his leg was unsatisfactory as a distraction. The persistent headache that had settled in from the early morning still remained no matter how many pills he forced down.

He took a sip of his wine and smacked his lips together to mask the lingering, bitter taste. Wine had never been his beverage of choice, but he drank it for the sake of appearance.

The hum of noise subsided as a young man in similar formal attire collapsed into the seat next to Malkin. The two men might as well have been complete opposites when it came to appearance. The young man's hair was black and thick with brown eyes filled with energy. He also wasn't yet developing the bit of beer gut that Malkin had begun to nurture over the years.

What brought these two individuals together was not based off of physical appearance. Their similarities involved ambition and a constant strive for improvement. It also helped that they both worked hand in hand with a massive collaboration for the lofty virtual project that was underway.

The young man sat there for a moment pretending to listen to the speech before he spoke.

"So, did I miss anything?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Malkin shrugged. "Not sure. Think this guy works for virtual security."

The young man smiled. "You don't seem too worried. They'll be the guys monitoring the AI you provided."

This comment didn't seem to pique Malkin's interest in the least. "That so? Doesn't matter really. As long as they took care of their end prior to Player entry my AI won't be a problem."

"You sure seem confident."

"Lo is perfect. Never had any problems with her. As long as the Gamemaster and his subordinates follow the guidelines I laid out, then I foresee no issues."

The young man found it amusing how Malkin spoke of his AI. It was as if he saw the intelligent construct as an actual human being, even referring to her by name.

The man took a sip of his wine and frowned deeply at the drink in disgust. Malkin allowed himself a wry grin. Even though their difference in age spanned several decades, he found that this boy was someone he could get along with given their similar tastes.

The young man was Christopher Alsheimer, CEO of World Virtual Visions. He was one of those boy wonders who entered college when he should have been in his sophomore year of high school; the type of boy who corrected the computer instructor on how to better organize programming code, or how to ascertain any problems with the coding outright. He took daring actions for the sake of curiosity in his younger years, entering college campuses and sneaking into buildings so he could work on his virtual programs. A kid like him wasn't going to have the advanced software needed on his home desktop to complete his ambitious projects. He probably could have developed a method to pirate the software off the internet, but sometimes it came through incomplete, and it was difficult to receive necessary updates with stolen software. Besides, he was the adventurous type and reveled in the excitement of potentially being caught.

He founded World Virtual Visions at the age of twenty-four and developed the virtual gear necessary to operate Puzzle and Dragons  _World_  shortly after.

Malkin had to admire a kid who came from nothing. Someone who built himself to where he was today in such a short time. He may have been a genius, but it wasn't as if he didn't work to reach his position.

The two men noticed that the next speech had concluded and a familiar executive was now approaching the podium. The man adjusted his wide spectacles and shuffled some unseen papers. His tie was slightly crumpled and one of his secretaries had done a poor job of adjusting his collar.

Malkin sighed. "And here we go. Successor to the great Shinji Takamura. What a joke."

Malkin took another sip of his wine. He was not nearly buzzed enough for the speech he was about to hear.

Alsheimer mimicked his friend's exasperation and propped his elbow on the metal arm of his chair. "Kurosaki isn't all that bad I suppose. I mean, he isn't Takamura sure, but who is?"

Malkin admired his optimism, but the boy was green in this department. Alsheimer had been in the business world for only a few years where he had spent decades.

Malkin was aware of the kind of genius that Takamura had been. The kind of genius who rivaled or, more accurately, surpassed him. Kurosaki was another story. How he had managed to attain Takamura's position was beyond Malkin's understanding. The guy was a joke. A complete sham. Nothing more than a figurehead in the whole scheme of things. His position was a title, not a symbol of competence.

Without Takamura, the advanced virtual world wouldn't have existed in the first place. He was the creator of the universal code that allowed the world to operate itself without any interference from the outside. And the denizens of the virtual world operated separately from this system with their own free will. That was Takamura's crowning achievement: a world that operated just as the real world did with individuals that could forge their own destinies.

The virtual world project functioned with three crucial components. Takamura developed the code that runs within the virtual world and supports its denizens. Alsheimer's virtual technology provides Players with access to Puzzle and Dragons World. Malkin's AI regulates the world and implements necessary adjustments with any potential discrepancies along with data collection. They were "The Big Three" corporations of the virtual world: Takamura Programming Development (TPD), World Virtual Visions (WVV), and Future Artificial Networking (FAN).

They were like the three musketeers, but now one of the musketeers was gone.

"Lung cancer right?" Alsheimer asked.

Malkin nodded and spoke with a grim tone, "Yeah. Docs said he had six months to live. And what happens? He dies in three weeks. In this day and age how in the hell do you mess that up?"

"I'm sure Takamura would've appointed a more competent successor if he had known that."

"Who knows? Takamura was so absorbed in his work that I guess he didn't really think about it. After all, he was expecting to see his world before he went."

Alsheimer nodded at this with sympathy for Takamura. "A damn shame."

Kurosaki concluded his speech and stepped down to allow yet another individual to take the stand. It was the Gamemaster. His appearance was the indication that the corporate opening ceremony was now reaching its end.

"I am pleased to announce ladies and gentleman that all the Players have now entered the virtual world. Each entry went smoothly and there are no issues to report."

The crowd erupted into huge applause, and even Malkin and Alsheimer joined in.

"The developers and designers from Gungho would like to especially thank Thomas Malkin of Future Artificial Networking and Christopher Alsheimer of World Virtual Visions for providing the virtual gear and AI that made this world possible. Thank you very much for your contributions to this technological breakthrough."

More applause followed. Malkin and Alsheimer gave a quick wave as all eyes were directed upon them. Malkin could tell that Alsheimer was uneasy being put in the spotlight. The kid would get used to it with his future successes.

As the Gamemaster continued his speech, the man named Kurosaki approached Malkin and Alsheimer's table and greeted them with a deep bow. He gestured to one of the seats politely.

"May I have a seat?" he asked.

Malkin nodded. "By all means."

Malkin did well to hide the irritation from his curt response.

Kurosaki took his seat and nodded to each of them in turn. He seemed to have just noticed that his collar was popped up and readjusted it to the best of his ability before finally speaking.

"I just wanted to thank you gentleman for agreeing to provide your assistance for this massive undertaking."

He gave another quick bow from his seat before continuing. "As I'm sure you are both fully aware, I am not Takamura, and never will be Takamura. But I assure you that the company's ambitions have not wavered in the slightest. I owe Takamura at least that much for how well he has treated me."

Alsheimer and Malkin glanced at each other, but made no indication of replying to this statement.

Kurosaki took this as a sign to continue. "That being said, there has been a rather sizable hiccup in the PADW project. I would like to discuss this with you gentleman at the earliest possible convenience."

Alsheimer spoke first, "Why don't we discuss it now if it is such a problem?"

Kurosaki glanced around the room as if he thought someone might be eavesdropping on their conversation.

"To put it simply, this information is above nearly everyone's paygrade who is involved with this project. We do not necessarily need to deal with this issue immediately, but I would prefer we address it at the earliest possible convenience."

Malkin cocked an eyebrow at this. "Keeping this all on the hush-hush? Must be pretty serious." He took another sip of his wine out of habit. "I need to provide a few more last-minute instructions to the game operators concerning the handling of my AI. Other than that, I am pretty much free."

Alsheimer added, "I have to get my guys set up on the data link with Malkin's AI before the game officially takes off after the tutorials. I will be free as well afterward."

"That is absolutely fine," Kurosaki said with relief.

He thanked the two men once more and hurriedly headed off to speak with another group of individuals at a different table.

Malkin and Alsheimer exchanged a concerned look that they didn't want to make apparent in Kurosaki's presence.

* * *

**The Virtual World**

**Pirugan Continent, Departure Tower**

**Game Timer: Day 1**

**2:15 PM**

The remaining trials of the Departure Tower proved to be far more manageable than the introductory battle with the dark ogre. Ray and his new companion took their time testing different abilities and combinations with orbs and with their team coordination. A nice skyfall of orbs had provided the tamadra with combinations of all five attributes, and the glass ball that resulted converged with the tamadra, giving it the ability to phase through enemy attacks for a short time. Even previously weak monsters in the original Puzzle and Dragons now held hidden power. With the help of Players, monsters could unlock their true potential.

The duo exited the tower full of energy and high spirits. Ray shielded his eyes from the blazing sun that pierced through the thin clouds. The fog had lifted, and the chill was replaced by a cool, comfortable breeze.

A mountain pass lay before them and winded downwards with rocks strewn along a dirt path.

Ray began his descent, but halted when he noticed that his companion did not follow. The tamadra simply floated there still smiling.

"What's the matter?" Ray approached the tamadra with a touch of concern in his voice.

His question was answered by a thin spray of data particles that floated from the bottom of the tamadra's shell. The base of the shell began to disappear.

"Wait, no-" Ray started. He realized what was happening.

The tamadra flew next to Ray and patted him on the head. The monster didn't seem concerned, which put Ray at ease. Still, he was sad to see the monster go. They had bonded in the tower together, and Ray was understandably reluctant to let the little guy go.

Ray forced his worry aside with the tamadra's assurances. He smiled and patted the tamadra in return. It closed its eyes happily at Ray's touch. His hand didn't leave the small creature's head until it completely disappeared. Its data particles drifted away on the wind.

_Sure hope I see you again, pal._

He knew that the tamadra wasn't gone from the world. Maybe one day he would meet it again.

Ray started down the path. As he carefully picked his way through the rocks he took the time to run his hand over the dirt. He clasped the dirt in his hands and let it fall from between his fingers. It felt just like, well, dirt. The realness of the world still amazed him. It would take some getting used to.

It wasn't long before the pass opened up to flat land that extended to a cliff on all sides. He could see for miles around. To his left was an expanse of forest that extended as far as the eye could see. To his right, the mountain range continued and lowered its jagged body into a distant lake.

Ray's focus was then held by the individual who sat a short way from where he was standing. A young woman sat upon an outcropping of rock, her arms crossed and resting on the pole of a halberd, the blade driven into the ground. Her elegant red and gold Chinese dress and long, ponytailed light brown hair blew in the wind. Her rainbow wings were folded behind her, their gold armor shining under the sun.

The sight of her near the edge of the cliff with the blue sky behind her was absolutely mesmerizing. Ray found himself lost for words.

She smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you, Ray."


	7. The Abyssal

" _What is it that makes us real? Well, define 'real.'" -Anonymous_

**The Virtual World**

**Pirugan Continent, Castle of Satan**

**In-game Timer: Day 1**

**1:30 PM**

The Divine Queen Hera strode down the long, dank hallway completely at ease, even with the tendrils of darkness that crept between the cracks of the obsidian hallway. This was the deepest she had ever been in the castle, and the malevolent presence that she was warned of that resided in the deepest bowels was near. Its aura was heavy, and the cold touch of the dark tendrils prodded her lavender skin as if testing her now wavering composure.

She didn't want to admit it to herself, but this unknown, otherworldly being exuded a power that was beyond even her understanding. This realization suddenly brought forth an alien feeling known as apprehension. She felt her air of calm begin to slip away. It was irritating how quickly one's emotions could transform in the face of the unknown.

After what seemed like an eternity, the hallway widened substantially, and Hera found herself standing before a massive wall of stone native to the abyss. It was stone that did not belong in this world, but it was here, thanks to the dark force that lurked just beyond.

Hera found that her black caricthmian armor was uncomfortable, and she worked her hands over the wrist and shin guards to readjust them. Her smooth black-scaled tail slid stiffly along the floor, and the body armor she wore also felt too tight, but this part was nothing really new. It was difficult to find armor in this world that actually fit properly to her alluring figure.

She removed her elaborate circlet from her head and let it vanish from her hands. She then let her brunette and red hair flow down its full length to her waist. Her long, elongated horns actually managed to make her appearance even more divine and seductive.

She would not allow herself to enter the chamber beyond without full control over her emotions.

And she now knew why her armor was so uncomfortable. She noticed the glimmer of sweat on her arms and cursed herself for her body's honesty. There was nothing to be done. Sitting and brooding would only serve to make her more uneasy.

With that realization, she placed her hand at the very center of the wall, and a thin vertical line appeared that extended to the floor and ceiling. Without further prompting, the two separate slabs of rock opened inward with a groan of resistance to plunge Hera into an even deeper darkness.

Hera hesitated before taking that first step into the chamber. The bit of light from the hallway was unable to pierce the darkness beyond.

Hera willed herself forward, stepped onto the unseen floor, and proceeded into the consuming darkness. The air was silent. Even Hera's footsteps were unheard as she strode forward with her controlled, even pace. The typical rustling of fabric under her metal armor that she was accustomed to was also absent. It was as if the world had been put on mute and sense of sound had been nullified, deafening the world.

As she considered this thought, a coldness seemed to close in, and she felt her body stiffen against her will. The cold was fleeting, but the soreness in her limbs that followed convinced her that it was more than just a slight chill.

As she stepped forward, the scraping of her metal heels could now be heard. Her breathing turned out to be much heavier than she expected as sound returned to the world. At first she thought her breathing mirrored her apprehension, but it was due more to the fact that the air in the chamber was now heavier. Much heavier.

Before she even had time to consider what had been done to her body, the darkness opened up before her and admitted her into another hidden chamber that glowed with a dim red light. The source of the light emitted from a small orb at the center of the room that pulsed outwards. Crimson rings swirled around it, and they appeared to be the energy source that maintained the light's glow.

Hundreds upon hundreds of stalagmites and stalactites thrust from the ground and ceiling, disappearing into the darkness beyond that the orb of light could not penetrate. Flat stone slabs protruded from all areas of the chamber around the spikes of rock. Dust swirled around in random points in the room from an unseen wind that shouldn't have existed in such a place sealed from the outside world.

Hera noticed a group of monsters, her comrades, sitting around the red orb. They leaned against the stalagmites or sat upon the flat stone slabs silently.

She first noticed Satan's massive form bent over the glowing orb. One of his hands rested open with trails of energy seeping from it, feeding the orb.

The second individual was a knight in heavy black armor who was busying himself as he tended to a long broadsword. He sat silently as his hand moved methodically up and down the sword. A light blue hue emanated from the blade as he continued to perfect his practice of reinforcement.

Sitting behind the knight on one of the jutting stone slabs was a female with folded, dark raven-like wings. Her black hair hung low to the small of her back with an elaborate, violet circlet resting on her head. The bright flowers that were clipped to her hair on either side of her head contrasted strangely with the burgundy armor she wore. Her legs were crossed, wearing stockings of armored fabric; and her arms, also covered in multi-layered metal, rested on her knees in a stance that made her boredom obvious. Her scythe was laid on the ground with the utmost care.

Standing next to Satan was the final individual. Hera was aware that he was male, but the bone mask-of-a-face made it difficult to tell, especially with the dark hood pulled up over his head. His armor was sharp and dangerous; it seemed like the armor was practically a part of his own body. His pauldrons were forged into the shape of dragon feet and his full multi-layered, caricthmian armor was smooth where the spikes ended. It was armor that was crafted by his own hands. His elaborate cloak covered most of the armor. Propped up in one of his hands was an enormous scythe with three intricate, and disturbingly realistic, dog heads where the blade of the scythe began. Two more curved blades extended upwards out of the two dog mouths to either side of the central blade. The eyes of the metal Cerberus glowed a deep yellow like a brimming fire.

What made Hera uneasy about him was the fact that she could not read his face. The hint of a mouth could be seen, but just barely since his cloak was pulled up over the lower half of his bone face (she was unsure if what he wore was a mask or if it was his actual face). His eyes were also unreadable. They were like the eyes of a beast; perhaps those of an ice wolf, with vertically thin pupils. The smaller eye in his forehead was forever unmoving, and Hera wondered if it actually observed anything. Perhaps it did, but she had never seen it glance in any direction. The black, curved ink designs around his eyes made their contrasting crystal blue color even more prominent.

Only one of her comrades came down to greet her as she approached the glowing orb. The woman with the raven wings dropped the few feet to the ground from the rock slab. She walked up to Hera and greeted her with a nod.

"It's good to see you Hera," she said in her sweet voice. There was a hint of apprehension in her tone that Hera could pick out.

"It is good to see you too Persephone," Hera replied. Her awareness of Persephone's uneasiness was enough of a reminder to mask her own.

The deep voice of Satan interrupted all of their thoughts. "Everyone is now present."

Persephone addressed the cloaked individual next to Satan with surprise, "What is he talking about Hades? There are so few of us here."

The one named Hades shook his head. "Indeed. Many of us are too far scattered throughout the continent to assemble. A few who were once among us have been removed from our covenant as well."

Hera smirked. "I'm guessing Beelzebub is one of them?"

She dismissed the fact that they had neglected to inform her about these recent events. They would get their scolding later.

"He was a liability. My only regret is that I was unable to crush his twisted brain," Satan scoffed, "Sick and demented little runt."

As Satan finished his sentence, the orb beneath his hand began to visibly dim. The void around them drew closer and melded into the stone. Hera felt the same presence from before. The dark tendrils now slithered along the stone and combined to create an even deeper darkness. The last of the inky black merged, and all around them the cavern vanished. The red orb only illuminated the individuals who stood around it.

A disembodied, mechanical voice resounded in the darkness, _"I am pleased that all of you were able to convene at this critical hour."_ The voice seemed to be coming from all around them. It felt as if it was intruding upon their minds.

The dark knight who was reinforcing his sword stopped his work and rose to his feet. Hera was unable to see him camouflaged in the darkness, and she jumped in surprise as he appeared to join them in the circle. She let out a low curse as she composed herself. The dark knight shrugged an apology, even though he was not aware of what he had done to Hera's nerves.

Satan waved one of his six hands dismissively at the darkness. "Enough with these formalities Abyssal. Why did you summon us?"

"Best make it quick," Hades added, folding his arms over his chest impatiently. "The Players will be arriving at their Departure Towers. Time is short."

The darkness seemed to shift with irritation at their ill-mannered tone. It wasn't that this shift was seen, but felt.

Hera and Persephone glanced at each other uneasily.

_"Very well,"_ the Abyssal responded after a brief silence, _"I have summoned you all here to provide information regarding the next few months that follow this recent Reversion."_

Hera, despite herself, was now leaning forward expectantly awaiting the Abyssal's next words. Persephone mimicked her movement.

Hades, Satan, and the black knight stood silent and expectant.

_"I will no longer be able to assist you with intelligence concerning your enemies' whereabouts,"_ the Abyssal continued.

Satan cursed under his breath at this news and Hades simply shook his head. They had all expected this eventually. The very existence of The Reversion displayed the power of the ones who created the world. The monsters' loss of power was another signal that indicated their lack of control. It was an inevitability that they had all been secretly denying up until this moment.

Persephone spoke, "So the Creators have control of everything now? Is that it?" she asked.

The rest of them stared into the darkness for confirmation. The Abyssal's response was completely unexpected.

_"The Creators do not necessarily have control of this world."_

No one was able to conceal their shock at this statement. For those whose faces were concealed, their shift in stance was more than enough to reveal their surprise.

"What do you mean?" Hera asked.

_"The Reversion was not necessarily enacted by the current Creators. In actuality, The Reversion was set to occur at a certain time by a very 'specific' Creator, one who is now deceased. It is set to revert all monsters back to their original states of power when they were brought to the world. This Reversion was created to only occur once. It is the final preparation for the coming of the Players."_

Hera considered the words of the Abyssal for a moment. If what the Abyssal said was true, then The Reversion would not occur again. Also, the Creators were not actually in control of the world. What did that mean? If they were able to create something like The Reversion, then how were they not in control?

"I am not quite sure what you mean," Hera stated as she gathered her thoughts. The others waited for her to ask the question that was all on their minds.

"You say that the work of The Reversion was not done by the Creators, yet you say that one _specific_ Creator is the cause of it. So what's to stop the other Creators from making another one?"

The Abyssal answered immediately, _"It is because the other Creators do not know how to create another Reversion."_

Hera stared blankly into the darkness. She observed every one of her comrades and noticed the same stillness from all of them. It was a time for contemplation. They had all been painstakingly forming plans around the highly likely possibility that the Creators were always watching them, always waiting to intervene. One wrong move and the Creators would have the power to reverse not only their power, but perhaps the world, or even time and space. It seemed as if most of what they had learned about the world of the Creators was false.

The Abyssal interrupted their thoughts. _"In conclusion, this world is now out of the control of the Creators. The denizens of this world are considered separate from their influence. The Creators have limited power, and are only able to regulate the one who is truly in control of this world."_

Hades asked the pertinent question, "If they aren't in control, then who is?"

The Abyssal answered, _"My sister, Lo."_

* * *

**The Virtual World**

**Pirugan Continent, Demeter Forest**

**Game Timer: Day 1**

**2:18 PM**

Ray and Leilan stood at the edge of the cliff that overlooked Demeter Forest. The forest was a sea of green that extended far beyond Ray's range of sight.

The introductions between the two companions had been awkward to say the least. After Leilan's greeting, Ray had stood their completely dumbfounded by not just her beauty, but her matter-of-fact tone. It had taken him nearly a half minute to come up with a response. His words had come out as a cluster of stutters that made him sound like he was speaking a different language. That's how it sounded to him at least. He couldn't help but be embarrassed by his ridiculous response.

Ray squatted at the edge of the cliff and gazed down into the forest. He guessed that it was at least a thirty meter fall. There was no way any normal human could possibly make the drop without injury.

"Can you make this drop?" Leilan asked as if she had read his mind.

Ray examined the cliff face before answering her. There seemed to be a number of handholds from jutting rock and deep grooves that seemed to have a good bit of friction for his fingers to get a decent grip on.

"I can probably make the climb down," Ray responded.

As Ray turned to make his way down the cliff, Leilan placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He glanced up in confusion and saw that Leilan's wings were now fully extended outward. A hint of a grin was on her face.

"I was just kidding," she chuckled softly. "I can fly you down."

Ray sighed and shook his head. Of course, it should have been obvious. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly. Everything that was going on, this amazingly real world and this amazingly real person were getting to his head.

But Leilan wasn't even a person. She may have looked like one, save for the wings on her back, but she was a monster.

Ray turned reluctantly and allowed Leilan to grab him under the arms. She tested her grip and his weight before she began beating her wings to lift them from the cliff. Ray was surprised by how easily she took to the sky with the combined weight of his armor and person.

Leilan glided a short ways until she found a break in the canopy. She released him a few feet off the ground and he landed easily in a half-crouch.

The grass was soft, just like in his own world.

Leilan alighted next to him and they began their journey through the forest.

* * *

Ray carefully picked his way down a long descent. The terrain was deceiving, for the trees grew so that they reached only a certain distance up to the sky, creating a completely even canopy of leaves. It was as if the trees were working in unison to remain as equals so that no tree reached any higher to the sky than the others.

No stone lay on the ground and no natural path was discernible.

Ray slid down the last few feet as Leilan floated to the ground beside him.

They spent most of the journey in silence. Ray found it difficult to strike up any sort of conversation. He always had a difficult time speaking to people he had just met. They were both destined to fight alongside each other without first knowing about the other. Ray found it easier to examine his surroundings and to take in the environment.

The forest was eerily silent. Ray noticed that during the whole trip through the forest, there was not a single sign of wildlife or any traces of prints or disturbed foliage to indicate that any sort of living creature had passed through.

Ray decided to break the silence by commenting on this observation. "This forest seems way too quiet," Ray said.

Leilan regarded him curiously as he continued.

"It feels like nothing has passed through here in quite some time. Why is that?" Ray figured that his partner might hold the answers for him. After all, it was her world.

But how long had she actually been in this world?

"This part of the forest heals itself," Leilan answered. "It is able to revert back to its original state at an amazing rate. Look." She gestured to the grass behind them.

She was right. The crushed grass that was previously beneath their feet was righting itself and pointed straight up once again. None of the blades of grass bent in any direction. All of them pointed straight for the canopy.

There were so many questions that Ray wanted to ask Leilan. But the sheer number of them couldn't possibly be answered in the span of a day. He decided that he would stick with the more pertinent questions for the time being and address the other ones later as the situations presented themselves.

"Normally I would ask someone I just met the typical introductory questions," Ray finally continued after a short time. Breaking his uneasiness with a bit of humor seemed appropriate. "Y'know, what your favorite hobby is, what colors you like, favorite outdoor activity, stuff like that."

Ray was about to continue until Leilan interrupted him. "You could ask. But I probably won't have an answer for most of them."

Ray smiled. "Yeah, for some reason I kind of figured."

Before he could draw out the conversation further, a dirt road caught his attention. He didn't actually notice it until he heard the crunch of the dirt under his feet, completely different from the soft muffling of his boots in the grass.

He noticed a long indent in the dirt that extended all the way down the road out of sight. Some sort of vehicle must have passed by. No, that wasn't right. The world he was in now didn't have the advanced technology of his own world. This world was based on magic. The tracks must have been from a wagon perhaps, judging from the fact that the tracks were in a pair.

Leilan looked up and down the road silently. She seemed to be weighing their options.

"If we head north, we will reach the town of Millshore," Leilan said. "To the south is the far base of the Bakke Mountains. I suggest that we head into town first. It will be evening by the time we reach the mountains, and there are too many taur demons prowling the area at that time."

Ray nodded. "Alright. You know this world better than I do. Let's head north then."

He was eager to enter some dungeons. The fast pace and thrill of the battles in the Departure Tower had him itching for combat. But it was foolish to enter territory without any experience and at such a low level.

All Players and monsters started at level one upon entering the world. As they completed dungeons and quests they would become stronger. Ray didn't want other Players getting the jump on him in terms of power, but perhaps he could gain an advantage through knowledge instead.

* * *

Leilan's words proved to be true, and the sun began to set faster than Ray had anticipated. He could make out faint traces of the moons in the sky. Having more than one moon was going to take some getting used to, and he did a double-take when he first noticed the two spheres in the sky nearly touching each other in orbit. He wondered what effect two moons could have on a world. When a third moon appeared to take the place of the sun on the horizon it didn't really surprise him.

Leilan and Ray walked in silence down the dirt road.

It was a rather unique situation; two individuals who knew nothing about the other put together and expected to fight alongside one another, holding the fate of the other in his/her hands. Success didn't only depend upon how well they worked together. Trust was another issue, and Ray found it strange that he would have to address this if they were to work together as a team. In a game, a Player was the dominant force that determined how the game would progress. And if things fell apart, then it was all on the Player. Maybe the Player gave a partner the wrong choice from a list of commands, or maybe the Player took on a quest that was beyond his/her level.

In this world there were an infinite number of choices. An infinite number of situations and possibilities.

Ray bumped into Leilan's outstretched arm. Her touch woke him from his reverie and he instinctively drew back.

Leilan motioned for him to follow her to the side of the road. Ray obeyed and they took cover in some bushes.

When they were safely concealed, she cocked her head in the direction they were headed. Ray squinted his eyes to focus on the road and didn't notice anything at first, but after a few more seconds, he could make out what appeared to be a wagon and a group of individuals walking beside it. Actually, there was more than one wagon. Ray counted about four, along with a pair of guards standing to the sides and rear of each wagon. Some of the guards rode on the horses that pulled the wagons. Gray tarps covered their bulky cargo.

One individual rode upon an armored white horse leading the caravan, carefully taking in the surrounding forest for any signs of hostiles. The helmet this person wore concealed his/her face, and a straight horizontal line was left for the eyes.

Their gray armor was worn and damaged. Some of them were bandaged and supported injured limbs as best they could using the wagon for leverage or the scabbards of weapons.

Ray noted the crest on their body armor that consisted of two swirling lines ending like teardrops surrounding a crossed halberd and glaive.

"Soldiers of Millshore," Leilan commented.

Ray didn't take his eyes away from the approaching troops. "Friend or foe?"

"Really depends," Leilan answered, "The captain of the guard holds no love for monsters. Past conflicts in Millshore have left us with a strained relationship. The guards will be keeping a close eye on us when we enter town, but they won't interfere with us unless provoked."

Leilan rose from their cover and calmly walked out to the middle of the road. Ray joined her and assumed the same air of ease. He was content to let her take the lead.

They waited until the caravan arrived and a group of guards left their stations at the sides of the wagons and formed a defensive semicircle around the two travelers. They wielded their glaives with unsteady hands not from fear, but sheer exhaustion.

The soldier on the horse slid down and approached Ray and Leilan. The soldier did not bother to draw the broadsword on his/her back and gently pushed one of the guards aside.

"At ease," the muffled voice said.

The guards lowered their weapons, but they made sure the blades settled lightly on the dirt. The dirt would take some of the strain off their arms, but they would be prepared.

The soldier, who Ray assumed was the leader, removed the helmet.

The soldier was female with long blonde hair that was now free to flow to her lower back. Her hazel eyes were heavy, but there was an intensity that remained. She was good looking despite her hard features. Ray figured she was somewhere in her late twenties, but her manner and presence suggested a mind exceeding that of those with more years for wisdom.

Her expression softened and she gave them a weary smile of greeting, but not enough to extinguish the fire in her eyes. Her relaxed stance was most likely a farce.

"A monster and a human traveling together," she said. She didn't seem surprised by the odd pairing. "I guess this means that the Players have finally descended."

Ray tilted his head in confusion. It was strange that non-playable characters were aware of the unique existence of the Players. Usually these kinds of characters were for the sole purpose of driving a story forward, acquiring information, or providing quests to the Players of the game. The fact that they had knowledge of humans outside of their own world seemed unnecessary.

"How do you know I am a Player? And how did you even know we were coming?" Ray asked.

"The keeper of this world, Lady Overlook, informed us of your coming," she answered. "It also isn't common around these parts for a human and a monster to be traveling together."

_Lo told the people of this world of our arrival?_ Ray thought with surprise. He also found it strange the way she mentioned the relationship between the humans and monsters. It seemed like the two groups really did have an unhealthy relationship.

Leilan shifted the conversation towards a question concerning the caravan. "It's pretty late to be heading south isn't it? And your men don't seem to be in the highest spirits," she added as she got a good look at the soldiers' faces.

"Aye," the woman said with a tinge of concern, "We were assigned to escort this caravan to our new outpost on the south edge of Demeter Forest. Unfortunately, we had a few unexpected complications."

"Complications?" Ray pressed.

The woman nodded. "Looks like the taur demons in the area are all riled up, and they aren't the weak ones either. These taur demons hold the title of ' _Hellwind_ ,' first evolution taurs. This is the first time I've seen them this close to Millshore."

"I did not know there was an outpost set up so close to the edge of the mountains," Leilan commented.

"That's why the outpost is so desperate for supplies," the woman continued. "It is fairly new. The area is rich in ores, but since the area is so dangerous, the outpost was built at the base of the mountain."

Ray looked at the soldiers next to the wagons. Some of them were now seated heavily on the ground. Their heavy breathing and gaunt appearances were plain. Either this woman had been pushing them hard, or the hostiles had pushed them even harder.

He now noticed the woman's thickly bandaged leg. Her leather waist armor that hung down along her thighs had mostly hidden the red stain at a distance. Upon further observation, Ray also realized that most of her weight was distributed towards her healthy leg. The woman didn't show it, but she was badly injured.

"How much further is the outpost?" Ray asked. This drew a disapproving look from Leilan. She had an idea of what the question implied.

"With our current pace, and without any other obstacles, we should be able to make it by sundown." She threw her thumb over her shoulder to the men behind her. "We may be beaten up a bit, but we haven't lost a single man on this trip. My soldiers are the real deal."

She said that, but even Ray could see that the men were reaching their limit. Some of them were still panting, and their injuries didn't amount to just a couple of cuts and bruises. He observed one man with his waist completely bandaged and three spots of red seeping through. The weapon responsible for the wound was probably something like a trident, judging from the three punctures. The many layers of wrap indicated that the wound was deep. Many of the other men were similarly treated with makeshift tourniquets and crutches.

They would be hard-pressed in a fight with so many wounded.

It was in Ray's nature to help those in need, even if it was in a game. There might even be a potential opportunity to amend the monster and human relationship, even if it was just a little. He wanted to head to the mountains as soon as possible anyway. There had to be some dungeons nearby to explore and other places of interest. The outpost would also provide a safe place to stay for the night. Heading into town could wait until later.

He turned to Leilan for confirmation. He knew that she was aware of his intentions. "What do you think Leilan? We were going to head south anyway at some point."

Leilan shook her head. "I don't think we would be very welcome at this outpost." She gestured to the soldiers. "And I don't think these men would be comfortable taking the trip with me around."

To Leilan's surprise, one of the guards in the defensive semicircle around them relaxed his weapon and rested it on his shoulder. The rest of them followed his lead, and some even rested their weapons on the ground as a sign of trust.

"Some of us don't hate monsters," the one with the glaive on his shoulder said confidently. "Monsters may have made our lives more difficult in the past, but not all of them are to blame."

Another soldier by one of the wagons spoke up angrily, "The hell is wrong with you Carther? The damn monsters just crippled us and now you want to throw our lot with them?"

"Enough! Shut your goddamm mouths!" their commander shouted before anyone else could jump in.

The rest of the men promptly went quiet. They didn't even let out a breath. It showed just how much control and respect she had over them.

She turned back to Ray and Leilan and smiled apologetically. "My apologies. There will always be ignorant fools. I have fought alongside a monster on one rare occasion. They aren't all bad. If you would like to join us, I would be happy to have two more fighters for company. We might even be able to make it to the outpost with no casualties."

Her last comment was left as a vague indication that she believed there would be further conflict. And she knew with her exhausted and wounded men, they wouldn't all make the journey.

Leilan gave Ray another look that was difficult to read. "Very well, I suppose we will join you. Just make sure that none of your men try to stab me in the back."

The woman extended a hand to Leilan who accepted it with a bit of hesitation. She then shook hands with Ray.

"My name's Irina Roche. Just call me Irina."

"Leilan."

"Ray Andylon. Just call me Ray."

Once they finished the introductions, Irina signaled to her men that their break was over. It was time to finish the hard journey.

Leilan and Ray noticed Irina and the man named Carther approach one of the wounded men. They helped him to his feet and slung his arms over their shoulders and guided him to the white horse. A few more men came over to assist them and managed to settle the man in the saddle.

Some of the injured sat on the edges of the wagon, but the cargo that they were transporting took up most of the space available.

Along the way, many of the injured men took turns riding the horses when the pain became too unbearable to continue on foot.

Irina limped alongside Leilan and Ray the rest of the trip to the outpost.

* * *

The taur demons that flew overhead were the first sign of trouble. The second was the smoke that rose high over the trees in the darkening sky.

Irina bid her soldiers to make haste, and they pushed themselves through the pain of their injuries at their commander's call. They readied their crossbows and searched the sky for anymore hostiles. The darkness made all of the surrounding forest a place for ambush.

Leilan launched herself into the sky above the treeline so that any potential airborne enemies would not detect their location. She was just high enough to discern the source of the black smoke. The distance couldn't have been more than a mile.

She landed at a quickened pace next to Ray who was already setting up his database so that he could have faster access to his board of orbs once they entered combat.

The caravan had sped up, but their speed only amounted to a swift walk. The wagons were just simply too cumbersome, and the injured could muster only barely enough energy to keep up. Ray wondered if the soldiers would even be able to fight once they arrived at the outpost.

After a few minutes, the dirt road disappeared and was replaced by the regenerating grass of the forest. The caravan had turned slightly east back towards the forest, and the trees left just enough room for the wagons to pass through. The edge of the Bakke Mountains was now visible as the caravan came upon a small field. The outpost stood at its edge near another short expanse of forest that led to the base of the mountains.

Its wall consisted of thick, sturdy logs lifted upright with the ends crafted to sharpened points. Platforms lined the tops of the wall inside where guards ran back and forth, shouting orders and reloading crossbows. Archery towers stood at the edge of the wall as well, and crossbowmen fired into a hoard of monsters that pressed against the gate. The monsters even attempted to climb, driving their weapons into the wood as they made their ascent.

The mass of monsters hovering above the outpost and running towards the wall left the caravan in awe. They soon noticed the source of the smoke where a fire had erupted. It was continuously being fed at the base of the western wall.

A group of red, horned monsters with reptilian tails stood to one side with a circle of winged demons wielding tridents in a defensive formation. Some of them hefted shields to deflect the arrows from the guards' crossbows as the red demons threw orbs of fire at the wall.

Another group of dark demons with wings and wielding scythes descended upon the archery towers and attempted to circumvent the wooden spikes on the ledges the crossbowmen hid behind as they loaded more bolts.

"Ready them up boys!" Irina barked. Her men immediately responded.

They tore off the tarps on the wagons to reveal long metal cylinders with considerably large diameters. They were supported by gray steel slabs that attached near the front and end with wheels embedded to the bottom. A round crank extended out of one side. They threw off more tarps to present even more similar cylinders. On some of the wagons were black heavy spheres that some of the men promptly loaded.

Cannons.

"I want the injured to man the cannons and focus on the western wall! Take out those bastards before they burn the whole place. Keep moving forward and angle them appropriately. The idiots gave us a clear line of fire away from the outpost. The rest of you, hit the front and kill every last one of them! I want two lines of three archers each to swap positions for firing and reloading. I want plenty of cover as we move in. Get to it!"

With that final command Ray and Leilan rushed forward alongside Irina and her troops.

Irina still managed to keep up, even with her injured leg. The fire in her eyes was now on full blaze.

A rush of adrenaline coursed through Ray's body. A mixture of nervousness and excitement blended in. He felt his body lighten and sync with an all too familiar twitch in his muscles that acted on his combat instincts.

* * *

**The Virtual World**

**Pirugan Continent, Castle of Satan**

**In-game Timer: Day 1**

**7:26 PM**

The Abyssal brooded in his darkness about the monsters he had come to create an alliance with.

They were competent, but he found that some of them were not convinced of the intentions he had relayed to them. This would be a problem. He was going to need their assistance for a while if he was ever going to have a chance of accomplishing his goal.

He was sure that the one known as Hades would take the most convincing. All of them held a lack of trust, which was only natural. But Hades suspected far too much, even at this early stage in the game. If things went sour, then he would have to be disposed of first. The woman, Persephone, had a very intimate attachment to him, so she would be the next priority. The rest he was unsure of, but all in due time.

The Abyssal had decided to risk reaching out with his power to tap into the world and locate the positions of the Players. He could tell that his sister had not been given full command of the world just yet, which was a pleasant surprise.

His own Players had arrived just as the one Creator had promised. However, he sensed other Players with similar impressive potential that were not among his own.

Curious.


End file.
